Carbon-based functional nanomaterials with distinct photoluminescent properties have attracted significant attention due to their wide applications in biological imaging, biomedical fields, and antibacterial therapy. Among them, carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as promising fluorescent nanomaterials due to their inherent photoluminescent properties, high stability, water solubility, ease of functionalization, biocompatibility, and low synthesis cost. Numerous synthetic strategies have been developed, using a variety of carbon precursors ranging from small molecules to bulk or waste materials, which can influence their structure and photoluminescent properties. The fluorescence emission and functionality of these materials can be adjusted through heteroatom doping, surface modification, and reaction conditions, making them highly tunable nanomaterials suitable for sensing, catalysis, anti-cancer and antibacterial therapy, as well as biomedical imaging. 

This article discusses various types of synthesized CDs, their structural characteristics, and their applications in fungal biological imaging, anti-fungal therapy, and protective food packaging to demonstrate their potential in combating fungal drug resistance and contamination challenges. This research was published in ACS Nano under the title "Carbon Dots as an Emerging Class of Sustainable Antifungal Agents".