Carbon dots based fluorescence methods for the detections of pesticides and veterinary drugs: Response mechanism, selectivity improvement and application

Based on the unique properties of carbon dots (CDs), a number of detection methods with high performances have been built through various strategies for different pesticides and veterinary drugs, including organophosphorus pesticides, tetracyclines, quinolones and others. The performances of these detection methods are comparable or even better than conventional approaches as detection limits of some methods can reach pg/mL level. However, these methods have not been systematically reviewed. This article aims to provide a comprehensively review on the main response mechanisms of CDs to such analytes, selectivity improvement approaches and their wide applications in the detections of pesticides and veterinary drugs in water, plant and animal foods, etc. It is our hope that this review will promote the advance of CDs applied in the detections of pesticides and veterinary drugs, and open perspectives toward the construction of new detection methods based on CDs with high sensitivity, selectivity and accuracy. •Strategies for detecting pesticides and veterinary drugs with CDs are diverse.•Response mechanisms of CDs can be divided into direct and indirect manners.•Selectivity improvement includes enzymatic and non-enzymatic approaches.•Most CDs based methods focus on organophosphorus pesticides and tetracyclines.