Engineering Carbon Dots as Multifunctional Nanomaterials

Carbon dots (CDs) represent an emerging class of carbon-based nanomaterials. With size below 10 nm, CDs present the unique combination of photophysical properties, tunable surface chemistry, and biocompatibility that make them highly adaptable platforms for addressing challenges in diverse scientific and technological domains. Advances in synthetic strategies, including both pre- and post-synthetic design, now allow precise tailoring of their structure-function relationships, enabling the modulation of optical responses, electronic interactions, and biological activity. Such control has expanded the scope of CDs beyond traditional luminescent materials, positioning them as sustainable and multifunctional alternatives to conventional semiconductor nanomaterials. Current research highlights their potential to contribute to renewable energy technologies, biomedical applications, and next-generation sensing systems. At the same time, fundamental investigations into chirality, supramolecular interactions, and charge transfer processes provide insights that deepen understanding of nanoscale phenomena. The continuous progress in engineering CDs therefore not only strengthens their technological relevance but also broadens their role as model systems at the interface of chemistry, materials science, and biology. This invited lecture will outline how the evolution of carbon dot research is shaping pathways toward innovative and sustainable solutions across multiple fields.