Carbon dots: Electroluminescent devices for lighting and display applications

Carbon dots (CDs) have garnered significant attention as next-generation optoelectronic materials due to their tunable photoluminescence, low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, and excellent photostability. However, CD-based light-emitting diodes (CD-LEDs) still underperform compared to their conventional heavy-metal-based counterparts, exhibiting challenges such as broad full-width at half-maximum, limited luminescence efficiency, and inferior charge transport abilities. To critically assess the current state of the field and guide future breakthroughs, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of CDs and their applications in LED technologies. We start by summarizing the latest developments in monochromatic CD-LEDs for display technologies, focusing on key aspects such as narrowband emission, high photoluminescence quantum yield, and exciton utilization. Subsequently, we discuss the progress in white CD-LEDs for lighting applications, with a focus on optimizing the color rendering index, correlated color temperature tunability, and performance-enhancing methodologies. Finally, we outline key challenges in CD-LED patterning technologies and propose solutions to accelerate their integration into next-generation high-resolution display applications.