Synthesis of carbon quantum dots from biomass and their application in wood-based functional materials

In the context of resource recycling and global energy depletion, renewable biomass and its derivatives are regarded as among the most promising resources for future development. Notably, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) derived from natural or waste biomass exhibit excellent optical properties, biocompatibility, and antibacterial activity and have found increasingly broad use in wood-based functional materials. This review summarizes the recent advances in biomass-derived CQDs (B-CQDs), with an emphasis on their synthesis methods and properties. Furthermore, the applications of B-CQDs in various materials, such as wood-based photocatalytic materials, wood-based energy storage materials, and wood-based biomedical materials, are discussed. Finally, based on the current research status of B-CQDs, the associated challenges are analyzed, several pressing issues are identified, and future research directions are proposed. This review serves as a valuable reference for the development and application of B-CQDs and is anticipated to offer fresh perspectives for advancing wood-based functional materials. • Synthesize carbon quantum dots using waste biomass as raw material to achieve resource recovery and high-value utilization. • Biomass carbon quantum dots exhibit excellent performance and serve as key materials for endowing wood with multiple functions. • This review has promoted the development of wood-based materials towards high performance and multifunctionality. • This study provides a review of the application of biomass carbon quantum dots in wood-based functional materials.