“…Fluorescent nano-carbon dots (nano-CDs) are carbon-rich zero-dimensional nanomaterials that have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their diverse range of environmentally friendly characteristics. − Nano-CDs are considered as promising alternatives to semiconductor quantum dots, organic dyes, fluorescent nanoclusters, and rare-earth emissive materials, owing to their metal-free nature, high water solubility, and low toxicity. − In addition to these significant properties, carbon dots (CDs) can be synthesized through various simple and cost-effective methods, exhibiting bright and tunable light emission, excellent photostability, and favorable biocompatibility. − Conversely, CDs have gained considerable attention in the fields of biology, biotechnology, and medicine since their introduction in 2004, owing to their remarkable outcomes in various biological systems. − These exceptional characteristics of nano-CDs make them highly desirable for multifunctional applications, including chem–bio sensing, − bioimaging, drug delivery, , cancer diagnosis, thermal therapy, dynamic therapy, etc. − While CDs hold great promise as functional fluorescent materials in the fields of nanoscience and technology, further improvement in their stability is necessary.…”