Carbon Dots Newest Member of Brightly Luminescent Nanoparticle Family

Chemists at Clemson University have developed a new type of quantum dot that is the first to be made from carbon. Like their metal-based counterparts, these nanoscale "carbon dots" glow brightly when exposed to light and show promise for a broad range of applications, including improved biological sensors and medical imaging devices. The carbon-based quantum dots may be less toxic and less expensive than metal-based quantum dots. This work appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.