Carbon dot-based fluorescent sensors for pharmaceutical detection: Current innovations, challenges, and future prospects

Environmental contamination by pharmaceuticals has become a matter of concern as they are released in sewage systems at trace levels, thus impacting biological systems. Increasing concerns about the low-level occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment demands sensitive and selective monitoring. Owing to their high sensitivity and specificity carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as suitable fluorescent sensors. This review discusses the current scenario of the status of pharmaceuticals in the environment, limitations associated with traditional techniques employed for their detection, and benefits offered by CDs like easy surface modification and tunable optical properties for sensing applications. Several representative means by which CDs interact with other molecules such as inner filter effect (IFE), dynamic quenching (DQ), static quenching (SQ), Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), among others, are also discussed along with co-referencing fluorophores to design sensors. Based on developments described herein, CDs-based sensors can be expected to sense pharmaceuticals ranging from nanogram to picogram, target real-time industrial and spiked sample analysis, etc., which provides direction for future research. [Display omitted] •Carbon dots (CDs) are unique fluorescent labels with photoluminescence (PL) properties that make them perfect for sensing.•Comprehensive comparison of traditional and novel CD-based analytical methods shows CDs' pharmaceutical detection benefits.•Dopants and surface modifiers affect CD PL characteristics, improving selectivity and sensitivity, according to the study.•Carbon dots (CDs) detect pharmaceuticals effortlessly, selectively, sensitively, and economically.