Chapter 4: Large-scale Synthesis of Carbon Dots for Pollutant Adsorption and Photodegradation

Efficient removal/degradation of industrial or domestic pollutants is of great importance for the protection of human health and the environment. Among the various technologies, adsorption and photodegradation are the two most important methods for the successful removal of pollutants. Carbon dots (CDs) are promising materials in the construction of adsorbents or photocatalysts owing to their unique photophysical and chemical properties, including good light-harvesting, upconversion photoluminescence, efficient charge transportation and separation, abundant functional groups on the surfaces, etc. This chapter summarizes recent progress in the field of CD large-scale synthesis and CD-based environmental applications, including the adsorption of heavy metal ions and organic pollutants, the photodegradation of organic pollutants, and the photocatalytic reduction of heavy metal ions. Finally, the challenges and the future prospects of using CD-based nanomaterials in pollutant treatment are also highlighted.