Progresses in preparation and application of organosilane functionalized carbon dots

Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted extensive attention in biological imaging, fluorescent probe and so on owing to their simple synthesis methods, wide range of raw materials, excellent photoluminescence properties and good biocompatibility. However, CDs still undergo some limitations such as low quantum yield, aggregation induced fluorescence quenching and so on, which will limit their application on photoelectric devices. Organosilane functionalized CDs (SiCDs) exhibit bright emission in solution, and their fluorescence properties could be maintained in solid state, which is an effective strategy to exploit the application field of CDs. The preparation methods of SiCDs are reported, including direct synthesis method and post-processing method, and the fluorescence properties of SiCDs prepared by different methods were compared. We also reviewed the applications of SiCDs in different fields, and further summarized the problems of SiCDs in the preparations and applications, which need to be solved in future. Finally, the preparation method, performance regulation and application of SiCDs are prospected.