Recent advances in photo‐responsive carbon dots for tumor therapy

Cancer statistics, 2022

Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., Fuchs, H. E., & Jemal, A. (2022) · CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians · doi:10.3322/caac.21708 · Cited by 17,196

Photodynamic therapy of cancer: An update

Agostinis, P., Berg, K., Cengel, K. A., Foster, T. H., Girotti, A. W., Gollnick, S. O., Hahn, S. M., Hamblin, M. R., Juzeniene, A., Kessel, D., et al. (2011) · CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians · doi:10.3322/caac.20114 · Cited by 5,145

Metal-free efficient photocatalyst for stable visible water splitting via a two-electron pathway

Liu, J., Liu, Y., Liu, N., Han, Y., Zhang, X., Huang, H., Lifshitz, Y., Lee, S.-T., Zhong, J., & Kang, Z. (2015) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aaa3145 · Cited by 4,468

Activation of apoptosis signalling pathways by reactive oxygen species

Redza-Dutordoir, M., & Averill-Bates, D. A. (2016) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbamcr.2016.09.012 · Cited by 3,731

Reactive Oxygen Species-Induced Lipid Peroxidation in Apoptosis, Autophagy, and Ferroptosis

Su, L.-J., Zhang, J.-H., Gomez, H., Murugan, R., Hong, X., Xu, D., Jiang, F., & Peng, Z.-Y. (2019) · Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity · doi:10.1155/2019/5080843 · Cited by 2,166

The role of ROS in tumour development and progression

Cheung, E. C., & Vousden, K. H. (2022) · Nature reviews. Cancer · doi:10.1038/s41568-021-00435-0 · Cited by 1,663

Surface-Plasmon-Driven Hot Electron Photochemistry

Zhang, Y., He, S., Guo, W., Hu, Y., Huang, J., Mulcahy, J. R., & Wei, W. D. (2017) · Chemical Reviews · doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00430 · Cited by 1,362

Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy

Lan, M., Zhao, S., Liu, W., Lee, C., Zhang, W., & Wang, P. (2019) · Advanced Healthcare Materials · doi:10.1002/adhm.201900132 · Cited by 1,105

Graphene Quantum Dots-Band-Aids Used for Wound Disinfection

Sun, H., Gao, N., Dong, K., Ren, J., & Qu, X. (2014) · ACS Nano · doi:10.1021/nn501640q · Cited by 757

Toward Efficient Orange Emissive Carbon Nanodots through Conjugated sp2‐Domain Controlling and Surface Charges Engineering

Qu, S., Zhou, D., Li, D., Ji, W., Jing, P., Han, D. J., Liu, L., Zeng, H., & Shen, D. (2016) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.201504891 · Cited by 724

Pushing Trap‐Controlled Persistent Luminescence Materials toward Multi‐Responsive Smart Platforms: Recent Advances, Mechanism, and Frontier Applications

Du, J., Wang, X., Sun, S., Wu, Y., Jiang, K., Li, S., & Lin, H. (2024) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.202314083 · Cited by 130

Carbon Quantum Dots in Biomedical Applications: Advances, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Печникова, Н. А., Domvri, K., Porpodis, Κ., Istomina, M. S., Iaremenko, A. V., & Yaremenko, A. V. (2024) · Aggregate · doi:10.1002/agt2.707 · Cited by 97

Photocatalytic Carbon Dots‐Triggered Pyroptosis for Whole Cancer Cell Vaccines

Cheng, Q., Zhang, T., Wang, Q., Wu, X., Li, L., Lin, R., Zhou, Y., & Qu, S. (2024) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.202408685 · Cited by 85

Aggregation induced emission luminogen bacteria hybrid bionic robot for multimodal phototheranostics and immunotherapy

Zhu, L., Song, G., Zhang, W., Wu, Y., Chen, Y., Song, J., Wang, D., Li, G., Tang, B. Z., & Li, Y. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-57533-y · Cited by 63

A self-assembling nanoplatform for pyroptosis and ferroptosis enhanced cancer photoimmunotherapy

Wang, Z., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2025) · Light Science & Applications · doi:10.1038/s41377-024-01673-1 · Cited by 63

In Situ Secondary Self‐Assembly of Near‐Infrared II J‐Aggregates: A Novel Phototheranostic Strategy for Inducing Tumor Pyroptosis

Tang, Y., Xiang, D., & Li, Q. (2025) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.202501184 · Cited by 48

Visible‐ and Near‐Infrared Light‐Driven Molecular Photoswitches for Biological Applications

Xu, Y., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2025) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.202416359 · Cited by 49

Precise Molecular Engineering of Multi‐Suborganelle Targeted NIR Type‑I AIE Photosensitizer and Design of Cell Membrane‐Anchored Anti‐Tumor Pyroptosis Vaccine

Xiang, C., Liu, Y., Ding, Q., Jiang, T., Li, C., Xiang, J., Yang, X. W., Yang, T., Wang, Y., Tan, Y., et al. (2024) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.202417979 · Cited by 47

Self‐Assembled Metal Complexes in Biomedical Research

Wang, W., Xu, Y., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2024) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.202416122 · Cited by 47

Construction of a Microenvironment‐Responsive Antibacterial Hydrogel Packed With Immunomodulatory Carbonized Polymer Dots for Periodontitis Treatment From Multiple Perspectives

Li, N., Yan, X., Cheng, M., Qiao, S., Jiang, C., Su, X., Shen, C., Li, Y., Tang, W., Song, J., et al. (2025) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.202418407 · Cited by 50

Surface State-Based panchromatic luminescent carbon dots

Zhang, H., Bai, J., Chen, X., Wang, L., Peng, W., Zhao, Y., Weng, J., Zhi, W., & Wang, J. (2024) · Journal of Colloid and Interface Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.08.073 · Cited by 41

Mitochondria‐Targeted Molecular Tools in Precise Tumor Therapy

Wang, X., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2025) · Angewandte Chemie International Edition · doi:10.1002/anie.202511230 · Cited by 40

Donor‐Acceptor Type Supra‐Carbon‐Dots with Long Lifetime Photogenerated Radicals Boosting Tumor Photodynamic Therapy

Zhang, X., Li, L., Wang, B., Cai, Z., Zhang, B., Chen, F., Xing, G., Li, K., & Qu, S. (2024) · Angewandte Chemie International Edition · doi:10.1002/anie.202410522 · Cited by 39

Multi‐Energy Integrated Photocatalysis for Antitumor Therapy

Zhang, L., Liu, J., Xiong, Y., Liao, G., & Lv, Y. (2025) · Exploration · doi:10.1002/exp.20240188 · Cited by 39

One-step solvothermal synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots with efficient red emission from conjugated perylene for multiple applications

Wu, C., Zhang, S., Liu, M., & He, J. (2024) · Carbon · doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2024.119601 · Cited by 38

Carbon Dots Crosslinked Egg White Hydrogel for Tissue Engineering

Wu, J., Lei, J., Li, M.-X., Zhang, A., Li, Y., Liang, X., de Souza, S. C., Yuan, Z., Wang, C.-M., Chen, G.-K., et al. (2024) · Advancement of science · doi:10.1002/advs.202404702 · Cited by 34

Engineering in NIR‐responsive photothermal materials and their application in wound healing administration

Bassam, A., Du, M., Li, Y., & He, X. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm.20240031 · Cited by 36

Photoactivated Self‐Assembled Nanomicelles Integrating Mitophagy Inhibition to Enhance Pyroptosis for Cancer Immunotherapy

Dong, K., Xu, Y., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2025) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.202504384 · Cited by 32

Precursor-dependent photoluminescence diversity in carbonized polymer dots: the luminophores and crosslinking

Tao, S., Zheng, C., & Yang, B. (2025) · National Science Review · doi:10.1093/nsr/nwaf377 · Cited by 31

Phenylboronic acid-modified carbon dot-proteinase K nanohybrids for enhanced photodynamic therapy against bacterial biofilm infections

Sun, H., Sun, S., Wang, H., Cheng, K., Zhou, Y., Wang, X., Gao, S., Mo, J., Li, S., Lin, H., et al. (2025) · Acta Biomaterialia · doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2025.01.030 · Cited by 29

An Aged Tree with a New Bloom: A Simple Spatiotemporal Programming Strategy Enables Carbon Dot Photosensitizers to Regulate Cell Pyroptosis for Enhanced Tumor Photodynamic-Immunotherapy

Chen, T., Liang, K., Wang, J., Li, J., Xue, X., Hao, Y., Liang, H., Ren, H., Xiao, H., Ge, J., et al. (2024) · Nano Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03913 · Cited by 29

Fe3O4 clusters with high photothermal performance for photothermal therapy of tumor

Yang, R., Yu, X., Wei, C., Wu, C., & Zhang, W. (2024) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.159045 · Cited by 28

Modulation of Donor in Purely Organic Triplet Harvesting AIE‐TADF Photosensitizer for Image‐guided Photodynamic Therapy

Barman, D., Rajamalli, P., Bidkar, A. P., Sarmah, T., Ghosh, S. S., Zysman‐Colman, E., & Iyer, P. K. (2025) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.202409533 · Cited by 26

Nitrogen and sulfur Co-doped carbon dots with excellent fluorescent thermal stability for anti-counterfeiting and information encryption

Ahmed, N., Hussain, M., Abbas, A., Qamar, T. H., Hassan, S. U., Xia, P., Ma, L., Gao, X., & Deng, L. (2025) · Organic Electronics · doi:10.1016/j.orgel.2025.107197 · Cited by 26

Construction of Carbon Dot-Based Color-Tunable Circularly Polarized Long Afterglow via in Situ Phosphorescence Resonance Energy Transfer

Wang, Y., Zhou, S., Zhao, Y. D., Xiao, H., Xing, L., Sun, X., Zhou, J. P., & Lu, S. (2025) · Nano Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c00359 · Cited by 26

Liquid crystal based programmable active materials

Wang, R., Lei, Z., Jiang, J., & Peng, C. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm.20250001 · Cited by 26

Enhancing plant photosynthesis with dual light conversion films incorporating biomass-derived carbon dots

Ge, M., Yuan, Y., Liu, S., Li, J., Yang, C., Du, B., Pang, Q., Li, S., & Chen, Z. (2024) · Carbon Capture Science & Technology · doi:10.1016/j.ccst.2024.100253 · Cited by 25

Broadband and dynamic afterglow photoluminescent carbon dots for time-resolved optical information coding and encryption

Ran, X., Pan, Y., Qiao, L., Cai, L., Jia, Y., Liu, Z., & Guo, L. (2025) · Carbon · doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2024.119980 · Cited by 25

Electromagnetic Wireless Remote Control of Reprogramming Immune Dysfunction via N‐Doped Carbon Dots–Mesoporous Silica‐Mediated Cuproptosis and Dendritic Cell Retention

Lien, H., Kuo, Y., Chang, Y., Huynh, T. M. H., Yalamandala, B. N., Li, T. C., Iao, H. M., Pan, W., Lee, A. Y., Chiang, W., et al. (2025) · Advanced Healthcare Materials · doi:10.1002/adhm.202502817 · Cited by 29

Carbon dots-mediated plant adaptive responses to abiotic stress

Chen, F., Shen, Z., Shi, R., Zhang, X., Zhang, H., Li, W., & Lei, B. (2024) · Materials Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.materresbull.2024.113137 · Cited by 26

Molecularly Engineered NIR-II Emitting Carbon Dots Assemblies for Unprecedented High-Resolution Angiography and Synergistic Photodynamic/Photothermal Tumor Therapy

Xue, X., Li, J., Chen, T., Cui, M., Liang, H., Zhang, Y., Xue, M., Xiao, H., Ge, J., & Wang, P. (2025) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.159356 · Cited by 24

Recent advances in photopharmacology: Harnessing visible light‐activated azobenzene photoswitches

Feng, Y., Zhang, K., Gao, X., Yang, W., Wan, J., Fu, H., Guo, H., & Li, Z. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm.20250003 · Cited by 23

Nitrogen-doped carbon dots as a highly efficient photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy to promote apoptosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Sun, L., Zhao, Y., Yan, J., Wang, J., Cheng, H., Wang, Y., Qin, D., Liu, Y., Zhang, K., Wu, X., et al. (2024) · Colloids and Surfaces A Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects · doi:10.1016/j.colsurfa.2024.134409 · Cited by 21

An innovative red-emitting nickel-doped carbon dot for simultaneous detection of Fe(III) and pyrophosphate ions, coupled with synergistic photothermal/photodynamic cancer therapy

Huang, S., Zhang, W., Li, B., Li, G., Ni, W., Fang, Y., & Xiao, Q. (2025) · Analytica Chimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.aca.2025.344138 · Cited by 21

A NIR light activated self‐reporting carbon dots assembly as phototheranostics for tumor photodynamic therapy

Zhao, Z., Chen, T., Li, J., Xue, X., Ge, J., & Wang, P. (2024) · Smart Molecules · doi:10.1002/smo.20240049 · Cited by 20

Micro‐ and nanorobots from magnetic particles: Fabrication, control, and applications

Wang, X., Yang, T., & Li, Q. (2024) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm.20240027 · Cited by 21

NIR-activated nanodisguisers for targeted bactericidal action and enhanced electron transfer in periodontitis treatment

Qi, M., Ding, Q., Shi, Y., Wang, K., Liu, J., Zhou, J., Zhang, W., Liu, C., Liang, S., Dong, B., et al. (2025) · Biomaterials · doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123487 · Cited by 21

J-type assembled Pt(IV)-coordinated carbon dots for near-infrared light-triggered pyroptosis

Guo, D., Hou, Y., Xu, Q., Wang, B., Zhang, T., Cheng, Q., Chen, M., Huang, L., Xing, G., & Qu, S. (2025) · Light Science & Applications · doi:10.1038/s41377-025-01834-w · Cited by 24

d-arginine-functionalized carbon dots with enhanced near-infrared emission and prolonged metabolism time for tumor fluorescent-guided photothermal therapy

Wang, L., Wu, J., Wang, B., Xing, G., & Qu, S. (2024) · Journal of Colloid and Interface Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.09.135 · Cited by 19

Stimuli‐responsive magnesium‐based materials for biomedical applications: A review

Wang, X., Zhao, Y., Dong, Q., Chu, C., Xue, F., Wang, C., & Bai, J. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm.20240037 · Cited by 18

Micro‐ and nanomotors in biomedical applications

Meng, X., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm.20250021 · Cited by 18

Preventive conservation of paper-based relics with visible light high-transmittance ultraviolet blocking film based on carbon dots

Zhang, M., Zhao, J., Wang, S., Dai, Z., Qin, S., Mei, S., Zhang, W., & Guo, R. (2024) · Journal of Colloid and Interface Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.08.134 · Cited by 17

Organic small-molecule NIR-II fluorophores for tumor phototheranostics

Xiang, D., Wang, Z., Zheng, H., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2026) · Light: Science & Applications · doi:10.1038/s41377-026-02212-w · Cited by 22

Near-infrared and pH-responsive carbon dots/bergenin for biological imaging and chemo-photothermal synergistic tumor therapy

Li, J., Feng, X., Jiang, H., Mo, X., Liu, X., Liu, X., Feng, T., & Zhou, Y. (2025) · Journal of Colloid and Interface Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137679 · Cited by 16

Intelligent peptide‐based nanomaterials for targeted antibacterial therapy: Design, properties and applications

Zhou, C., Tang, Q., Yang, S., Zhao, G., Wang, T., Chen, Z., Zhang, Y., Tan, P., & Ma, X. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm.20240043 · Cited by 16

Photopharmacology beyond azobenzene photoswitches

Guo, H., Dai, J., Deng, L., Zhang, Z., Tian, H., & Zhang, J. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm2.70026 · Cited by 16

Near-Infrared-Triggered Photoresponsive Nanobombs Overcome Tumor Immunosuppression through Coordinated Pyroptosis Activation and Mitophagy Blockade

Zhang, S., Ye, M., Han, L., Zhang, H., Wang, Q., Zhang, M., Ran, F., Shi, X., & Xu, Z. (2025) · ACS Nano · doi:10.1021/acsnano.5c16196 · Cited by 16

Green synthesis of N,S dual heteroatom-doped fluorescent carbon dots (N,S-CDs) and their applications in gentamicin sensing and dual-switch anti-counterfeiting encryption

Long, X., Liu, H., Hu, J. W., & Wu, S. (2024) · Dyes and Pigments · doi:10.1016/j.dyepig.2024.112413 · Cited by 16

Rational Synthesis of Single-Component White-Light-Emitting Carbon Nanodots for Warm White LEDs with a High Color Rendering Index of 95.4

Xu, W., Han, Q., Su, Y., Zeng, F., Zhang, J., Zhang, X., Shi, C., & Peng, Z. (2024) · ACS Applied Nano Materials · doi:10.1021/acsanm.4c03868 · Cited by 15

Applications of Lignin‐Dervied Carbon Quantum Dots: Current Status and Challenges

Yin, X., Zhang, Z., Li, F., Fu, M., Qin, T., Ji, X., Wang, Y., Wang, Z., & Sun, S. (2025) · Exploration · doi:10.1002/exp.70039 · Cited by 14

Aggregation-induced emission of carbon quantum dots: Mechanisms and applications

Wu, H., Yan, Y., Peng, Q., & Tang, Y. (2025) · Applied Physics Reviews · doi:10.1063/5.0268816 · Cited by 14

Room temperature phosphorescent carbon dot composites in aqueous solutions: synthesis, properties, and tumor diagnosis and therapy

Ren, J., Chen, L., Du, J., Yang, Y., Liu, X., Chen, Y., & Yu, S. (2024) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.157825 · Cited by 14

Peptide-photosensitizer conjugates: From molecular design to function and antibacterial applications

Zhao, G., Tan, P., Tang, Q., Zhou, C., Yang, S., Zhang, Y., Chen, Z., Li, F., & Ma, X. (2025) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.162723 · Cited by 13

Effect of precursors on carbon dot functionalization and applications: a review

Strickland, S., Fourroux, L., & Pappas, D. (2025) · The Analyst · doi:10.1039/d4an01554a · Cited by 14

Rationally assembling different surface functionalized carbon dots for enhanced near-infrared tumor photothermal therapy

Wu, X., Liu, Y., Wang, B., Li, L., Li, Z., Wang, Q., Cheng, Q., Xing, G., & Qu, S. (2025) · Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica · doi:10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100109 · Cited by 13

Review of Pharmacologically Active Carbon Dots as Versatile Nanotherapeutics

Wang, H., Fang, Y., Ji, Y., & Ren, J. (2025) · ACS Applied Nano Materials · doi:10.1021/acsanm.5c03216 · Cited by 12

Donor‐Acceptor Type Supra‐Carbon‐Dots with Long Lifetime Photogenerated Radicals Boosting Tumor Photodynamic Therapy

Zhang, X., Li, L., Wang, B., Cai, Z., Zhang, B., Chen, F., Xing, G., Li, K., & Qu, S. (2024) · Angewandte Chemie · doi:10.1002/ange.202410522 · Cited by 12

Establishing a Model Precursor System: Over a Decade of Research on Carbon Dots from the Citric Acid‐Urea System

Liu, Y., Cai, Z., Sun, X., Zhang, H., Hao, Y., Wu, J., Yan, Z., Wu, X., Liang, Y., Wang, L., et al. (2026) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.202532189 · Cited by 11

Carbon dots with molecular pores achieve pH-responsive fluorescence by loading L-arginine for intracellular dynamic imaging and scald wound healing

Liang, Y., Liu, Y., Wu, J. H., Li, L., Wu, X., Yan, Z., Chen, M., Ushakova, E. V., Huang, C., & Qu, S. (2025) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.169579 · Cited by 10

Nucleolus-Targeting Carbon Dot Nanocomplexes for Combined Photodynamic/Photothermal Therapy

Ma, S., Zhang, Y., Zhu, Z., Wang, D., Zhou, X., Wang, J., Bian, W., & Tang, X. (2024) · Molecular Pharmaceutics · doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.4c01211 · Cited by 9

Ternary CD/Co3O4@MnCo2O4 heterojunction nanozymes for enhanced sonodynamic/NIR–II–photothermal/nanocatalytic therapy through triple amplification of ROS generation

Zhang, Z., Hu, J., Li, W., Cai, J., Pan, D., Geng, B., & Cheng, Y. (2025) · Carbon · doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120118 · Cited by 9

Lysosome-specific chemical platforms for precision oncology: from structural design to biological applications

Wang, X., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2026) · Chemical Society Reviews · doi:10.1039/d5cs01352f · Cited by 9

Interfacial Engineering of Fluorescent Carbon Dots with Metal Oxides for Real‐Time Visualization of Oxygen Vacancy Dynamics

Jiang, L., Cao, W., Li, Z., Wang, C., & Bi, H. (2024) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.202402827 · Cited by 7

Full-colors by luminescence induced by UV excitation in carbon dots synthesized by graphite laser ablation and oxidation in liquids

Torrisi, L., Manno, D. E., Serra, A., Torrisi, A., & Cutroneo, M. (2025) · Optics & Laser Technology · doi:10.1016/j.optlastec.2025.113308 · Cited by 7

Core-tailored carbon dots with ultrabroadband dynamic afterglow for highly secure data encryption and anticounterfeiting

Pan, Y., Ding, X., Cai, L., Wei, Z., Wang, S., Liu, Z., Ran, X., & Guo, L. (2025) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.168147 · Cited by 7

A powerful agonist for metal ion interference therapy: Multiple programs of cell death to amplify tumor metalloimmunotherapy

Huang, Y., Wang, L., Wu, J., Cui, X., Yang, Y., Pei, Z., Sun, S., Pan, X., Li, X., Gong, F., et al. (2025) · Biomaterials · doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123888 · Cited by 7

N, S-Doped Carbon Dots (N, S-CDs) for Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) Detection

Abdelhamid, H. N. (2025) · C – Journal of Carbon Research · doi:10.3390/c11020036 · Cited by 7

Precursor engineering towards orange- and red-emissive carbon dots for LEDs with tunable emission colors

Sun, J., Xu, W., Liu, Y., Sun, B., Xiong, J., Lian, Y., Lou, Y., & Feng, L. (2024) · Nanoscale · doi:10.1039/d4nr03184a · Cited by 6

Water-soluble carbon dots with AIE characteristics for latent fingerprints recognition and information encryption

Zhou, Y., Liu, F., Shi, Q., Shi, Q., Sun, Z., Yang, B., Zhao, L., Cui, F., & Nie, Z. (2025) · Journal of Luminescence · doi:10.1016/j.jlumin.2025.121335 · Cited by 6

Emerging applications of rare‐earth fluoride nanocrystals in medicine and biotechnologies

Tressaud, A., Wang, Z., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2025) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm2.70031 · Cited by 6

Super‐capacitive carbon materials with large micropores and rich mesopores synthesized using N, S co‐doped carbon dots as self‐templates

Zhang, X., Sun, H., Xiao, L., Wu, Z., & Xiong, H. (2026) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm2.70050 · Cited by 6

Aggregation-Induced Emission Carbon Dot-Based Multicolor Circularly Polarized Afterglow with a High Luminescence Dissymmetry Factor

Guo, R., Ling, Z., Zheng, B., Sun, X., Yuan, Z., & Li, H. (2024) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c03058 · Cited by 6

Amylopectin from maize-derived carbonized polymer dots as a novel high-efficiency antioxidant for periodontitis treatment

Liu, J., Feng, N., Jiang, X., Xin, X., Hou, Y., Jiang, Z., Lu, L., Yu, W., & Yang, B. (2024) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2024.158026 · Cited by 5

α-Fe Nanoparticles and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Composite with Improved Photothermal Conversion Efficiency for Tumor Therapy

Butt, I., Yin, P., Chen, N., & Zhang, W. (2025) · ACS Applied Bio Materials · doi:10.1021/acsabm.5c00772 · Cited by 5

Esterase‐Responsive Mitochondria‐Targeted Hydropersulfide Donors Mitigate Doxorubicin Cardiotoxicity While Preserving Anticancer Activity

Gu, J., Liu, Q., Rodriguez, D., Lamar, J., Bradley, K. R., Keceli, G., Thampoe, A., Xiao, Y., Paolocci, N., Khodade, V. S., et al. (2025) · Angewandte Chemie International Edition · doi:10.1002/anie.202521645 · Cited by 5

Transformative Potentials of Magnetic Micro- and Nanobots Using Programmable Electromagnetic Platforms for Next-Generation Therapeutics and Sensing

Shivalkar, S., Tammineni, Y., Verma, R., Chaudhary, H., & Suman, P. (2026) · ACS Applied Bio Materials · doi:10.1021/acsabm.5c01872 · Cited by 5

Photo‐responsive carbon dots for pyroptosis‐mediated anti‐tumor application

Li, L., Wu, X., Yan, Z., Wu, J., Huang, C., & Qu, S. (2026) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm2.70067 · Cited by 5

A rational synthesis strategy of multicolor carbon nanodots for efficient visual detection of NaNO2

Gong, X. N., Wu, M., Li, J., Zhang, S., & Wu, M. (2024) · Applied Materials Today · doi:10.1016/j.apmt.2024.102330 · Cited by 5

Achieve Phosphorescence Activation Through the Modulation of Intermolecular Forces within the Matrix

Yang, G., He, P., Bai, J., Qin, F., Wang, X., Qian, S., Yu, X., Yao, Y., & Ren, L. (2025) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.202507504 · Cited by 4

Molecularly Engineered Controlled Release Systems for Local Anesthetics in Precise Pain Management

Wang, X., Tang, Y., Jin, Z., & Li, Q. (2025) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.202520727 · Cited by 5

Subcellular Aggregation of Photosensitizers Overrides Reactive Oxygen Species Generation in Photodynamic Therapy Effects

Lyu, X., Wang, S., Ye, Z., Li, Z., Kwok, R. T. K., Zhou, K., Zhao, Z., & Tang, B. Z. (2026) · Small Structures · doi:10.1002/sstr.202500716 · Cited by 4

Engineered fluorescent microspheres of carbon dots with tunable luminescence

Zhou, D., Li, M., Zhou, W., Hua, Y., Yu, W., Jia, H., & Liu, H. (2026) · Carbon · doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2026.121374 · Cited by 4

Photothermal Sensitive Nano Heterojunction Triggering Ferroptosis and PANoptosis for Improving Tumor Immunotherapy

He, Z., Shao, X., Feng, X., Yin, L., Yang, N., Wang, Y., Liu, Y., Sun, X., Zhang, T., Zeng, Y., et al. (2026) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.73503 · Cited by 4

Constructing Carbonized Polymer Dot-Based Color-Tunable Long-Lived Circularly Polarized Afterglow via Supramolecular Phosphorescence Resonance Energy Transfer

Wu, Y., Zhou, S., Qiao, G., Guo, R., Wang, F., & Sun, X. (2025) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c01624 · Cited by 4

Formation and photoluminescence mechanism of fluorescent brightener-derived full-color emissive bioactive carbon dots for targeted microbial theranostics

Gao, Z., Li, M., Chen, H., Xiong, Y., Shao, Y., Chen, J., Wu, B., Yang, B., Ye, B., Guo, Z., et al. (2025) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2025.166342 · Cited by 3

Two-Photon Absorption Carbon Quantum Dot Composite Films for Optical Limiting Applications

Chen, X., Cao, Z., Zheng, J., Yang, Y., Chen, L., Nie, Z., & Liu, X. (2025) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry C · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c05117 · Cited by 3

Concentration-dependent multicolor and photo-responsive dynamic fluorescent carbon dots for recyclable dynamic information encoding

Zhang, J., Fu, Q., Ma, Z., & Yue, M. (2025) · Carbon · doi:10.1016/j.carbon.2025.121210 · Cited by 3

Enhanced Room-Temperature Phosphorescence in Carbon Dots through Microwave-Assisted Aluminum-Based Surface Polymerization for Information Encryption and Anticounterfeiting

Bao, X., Zhu, X., Tian, Z., Kong, D., Liu, X., Wang, S., Jin, Y., Wang, H., Yuan, X., & Li, H. (2025) · Langmuir · doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c03621 · Cited by 3

Light‐Triggered Azobenzene‐Based Modulator of Membrane Tension Enhances Antitumor Photoimmunotherapy

Wang, X., Chen, W., Wang, Z., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2026) · Advanced Functional Materials · doi:10.1002/adfm.75447 · Cited by 3

Surface‐Engineered Dual‐Emission of Carbon Dots for Ratiometric Detection of Hydroxyl Radicals

Pan, Y., Wang, S., Zhang, W., Ning, J., Yang, J., Ran, X., & Guo, L. (2026) · Nanophotonics · doi:10.1002/nap2.70116 · Cited by 3

Mitochondria‐Targeted Molecular Tools in Precise Tumor Therapy

Wang, X., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2025) · Angewandte Chemie · doi:10.1002/ange.202511230 · Cited by 2

Multifunctional Manganese‐Based Nanocomposites for Enhanced Immunotherapy by Regulating Lactate Metabolism and Activating the cGAS‐STING Pathway

Meng, X., Wang, W., Tang, Y., & Li, Q. (2026) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.73950 · Cited by 2

Carbon dots in electrochemiluminescence: Mechanisms, interface engineering, and bioanalytical applications

Zhao, Y., Chen, Z., & Zhu, J. (2026) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm2.70071 · Cited by 2

Synergistic effect mechanism of the core state, surface state, and solvent relaxation of N-doped red carbon dots

Yang, T., Zhou, H., Zhao, Y., Yang, W., Li, L., Ma, C., Jia, M., Chen, G., & Zhang, S. (2024) · AIP Advances · doi:10.1063/5.0227932 · Cited by 1

Influence of Carbon Dots on Quality of Strawberry Fruits

Butruille, N.-M. D. S., de Paula, A. M., de Alencar, E. R., da Silva, J., & Busato, J. G. (2025) · Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental · doi:10.24857/rgsa.v19n5-123 · Cited by 1

Recent Progress on Carbon Dots for Tumor Photodynamic Therapy

Zhang, X., Kang, T., Shi, Y., Liu, Y., Lyu, X., Qu, S., & Li, K. (2026) · Macromolecular Bioscience · doi:10.1002/mabi.202500662 · Cited by 1

Recent advances in nanozyme-based theranostics

Guo, J., & Zhu, X. (2026) · Chinese Chemical Letters · doi:10.1016/j.cclet.2026.112823 · Cited by 1

Mixed TiO 2 –SiO 2 thin coatings for selective adsorption and sunlight‐powered photodegradation of cationic pollutants

Lanfranchi, A., Bertucci, S., Peragallo, M., Martorelli, F., Manfredi, G., Avanzino, D., Spotorno, R., Alberti, S., Comoretto, D., Stasio, F. D., et al. (2026) · Responsive materials · doi:10.1002/rpm2.70072 · Cited by 1

Recent advances in the synthesis of carbon dots from waste materials and their applications in medicine energy storage and environmental clean-up

Yadav, V. K., Sokolovskiy, P. V., Zairov, R., Sinyashin, O. G., Roy, A., Rai, A., Fulekar, M. H., & Choudhary, N. (2026) · Discover Applied Sciences · doi:10.1007/s42452-026-09238-0 · Cited by 1

Dual-Mode Responsive Dynamic Afterglow Color in Carbon Dots and Carbon Nitride Composite for Advanced Optical Information and Temperature Sensors

Jin, Y., Yang, X., Cai, M., Kong, D., Liu, X., Wang, H., Liu, Z., Li, H., Bao, X., & Yuan, X. (2026) · Langmuir · doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.6c03607 · Cited by 1

Recent advances and prospects of carbon dots in phototherapy

Li, B., Zhao, S., Li, H., Wang, Q., Xiao, J., & Lan, M. (2020) · Chemical Engineering Journal · doi:10.1016/j.cej.2020.127245 · Cited by 215

Light-responsive nanotherapeutic carbon dots: a next generation tool for cancer phototherapy

Hong, H. J., Patel, M. B., Adnan, M., & Sasidharan, S. (2025) · Journal of the National Cancer Center · doi:10.1016/j.jncc.2025.07.004 · Cited by 4

Carbon Dots in Biomedicine: A Review

Zhu, P., Wang, S., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Liu, Y., Li, W., Wang, Y., Xiang, Y., & Luo, D. (2022) · ACS Applied Bio Materials · doi:10.1021/acsabm.1c01215 · Cited by 91

Carbon dot–based photonic nanomaterials for photothermal tumor therapy

Chen, H., Xu, B., & Liu, Z. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-13937-6.00020-2 · Cited by 1

Cancer Therapy with Carbon Dots

Zhang, J., Lan, M., & Wu, P. S. (2023) · Royal Society of Chemistry eBooks · doi:10.1039/9781837671205-00301