Progress in Water-soluble Room-temperature Phosphorescent Carbon Dots

Abstract Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have garnered significant attention due to their prolonged luminescent lifetime rendering them particularly suitable for non-instantaneous excitation applications.Carbon dots (CDs) as an emerging class of RTP materials have sparked widespread interest among researchers ow ing to their facile preparation low toxicity cost-effectiveness excellent optical stability and tunable optical proper ties.In this review we comprehensively summarize the pivotal advancements achieved in RTP CDs materials.Ini tially we delve into the luminescence mechanism of RTP elucidating the energy level structure underlying phospho rescence emission.Subsequently we elaborate on the synthetic strategies and modulation methods for both solidphase and water-soluble RTP CDs.Following this we highlight their potential applications in information encryp tion sensing lighting and display as well as biomedicine.Lastly we discuss the primary challenges currently faced by water-soluble RTP CDs and offer insights into future development opportunities. Key words carbon dots