Metal-Doped Carbon Dots as Fenton-like Catalysts and Their Applications in Pollutant Degradation and Sensing

Metal-doped carbon dots (CDs) have become one of the most popular catalytic materials for Fenton-like reactions, mainly due to their low production cost, minimal toxicity, and high catalytic efficiency. Theses reactions not only provide an efficient decontamination method for the degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater but also demonstrate a wide range of sensing applications. Metal doping introduces new catalytically active centres, which increase the binding selectivity to the reactants and offer an additional advantage of improved catalytic degradation and sensing activity. The metal-doped CDs optimise the electronic structure of pristine CDs, thereby enhancing their catalytic properties and reaction rates. These enhancements make them an attractive option for water treatment and sensor design. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current research progress in the utilisation of metal-doped CDs as Fenton-like reaction catalysts for the degradation of pollutants and sensing applications. This review examines the advantages of metal-doped carbon dots in terms of catalytic efficiency, selectivity, and application scope and discusses the potential challenges and future research directions. The aim is to promote further the sustainable application and green development of CD technology in environmental governance and analytical chemistry.