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Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) and Related Systems
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Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) and Related Systems

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2026 | Viewed by 1529

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Qianqian Duan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Shanxi Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence & Micro Nano Sensors, College of Integrated Circuits, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Interests: carbon quantum dots; bio-imaging; fluorescent sensor; drug delivery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs), as a new class of carbon-based nanomaterials, have many advantages, such as tunable fluorescence properties, excellent photostability, and low biotoxicity. Thus, CQDs have attracted much attention in many fields, including fluorescent sensors, bioimaging, organelle dye, drug delivery, and more.

The scope of this Special Issue ranges from synthesis and luminescence mechanisms of CQDs to properties and practical applications. This Special Issue focuses on both scientific and application aspects of CQDs and related systems.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • The synthesis, luminescence properties and mechanism of CQDs;
  • Drug delivery systems based on CQDs;
  • Bio-imagings and related applications based on CQDs;
  • Chemical detection based on CQD fluorescent sensors, and more.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Qianqian Duan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • carbon quantum dots (CQDs)
  • drug delivery
  • bio-imagings
  • organelle labeling
  • fluorescent sensor

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 7051 KB  
Article
One-Step Immunoassay of Alpha-Fetoprotein Constructed by Silicon-Quantum-Dot-Loaded Porous Gold Nanoshells
by Xiaoling Lu, Chao Shen, You Long, Song Zhang, Fang Chen, Nan Chen and Chenghong Huang
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(8), 479; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16080479 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 436
Abstract
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is widely utilized for auxiliary diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, the development of a facile immunosensor is essential for clinical applications. This study aims to develop a simple immunoassay for AFP detection. By incorporating silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) into etching [...] Read more.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is widely utilized for auxiliary diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, the development of a facile immunosensor is essential for clinical applications. This study aims to develop a simple immunoassay for AFP detection. By incorporating silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) into etching hollow gold nanoshells (EHGNs) via precise nanomanipulation, we designed molecular probes based on SiQDs@EHGNs complex immobilized capture antibodies, which can convert the antigen/antibody binding process into fluorescent divergence signals for AFP measurement. This strategy enabled one-step fluorescence sensing for AFP detection with a linear range of 3.125–200.0 ng/mL and LOD of 0.234 ng/mL. The detection results of 15 clinical serum real samples demonstrated a 93.7% correlation with the market-accepted ECLIA method. The proposed method take advantages of simplicity and rapid response, offering a novel approach for tumor marker analysis with significant potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) and Related Systems)
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16 pages, 4353 KB  
Article
Fine-Tuning Positive-Surface-Charge Carbon Dots for High-Efficiency and Low-Cytotoxicity Gene Delivery
by Shuo Zhang, Yangming Zhou, Qi Zhang, Juanjuan Xue, Ruijie Li, Tao Liu, Qianqian Duan and Shengbo Sang
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(3), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16030169 - 26 Jan 2026
Viewed by 714
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as a promising non-viral gene delivery vector due to their excellent biocompatibility and tunable surface properties. In this study, four CDs with gradient-positive zeta potentials (7.23 mV, 16.7 mV, 25.3 mV, 34.5 mV) were synthesized via a hydrothermal [...] Read more.
Carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as a promising non-viral gene delivery vector due to their excellent biocompatibility and tunable surface properties. In this study, four CDs with gradient-positive zeta potentials (7.23 mV, 16.7 mV, 25.3 mV, 34.5 mV) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method. Among these, CDs-3 with an optimal zeta potential of 25.3 mV stood out, exhibiting ultra-low cytotoxicity (cell viability > 80% even at 50 μg/mL) and a transfection efficiency of nearly 100% (for GFP plasmid delivery), significantly outperforming commercial vectors Lipo2000 and PEI. A stable CDs-3/siIhh delivery system was constructed at a mass ratio of 2:1. In vitro evaluations confirmed that CDs-3/siIhh could efficiently regulate the Indian Hedgehog (Ihh) signaling pathway and osteoarthritis (OA)-related markers in both normal and IL-1β-induced inflammatory ATDC5 chondrocytes. Its regulatory effect was significantly superior to that of the commercial Lipo2000/siIhh and PEI/siIhh systems. This consistent “transcription–translation” regulation, combined with the carrier’s safety and excellent cellular internalization capacity in chondrocytes, highlights its potential for OA gene therapy. Collectively, our work develops a novel, safe, and efficient positive-potential CD-based gene delivery vector, providing a promising gene regulatory capacity by leveraging optimized surface charge engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) and Related Systems)
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