Emergence of Carbon Nanodots as a Probe for Super-Resolution Microscopy
Navneet C. Verma, Aditya Yadav, Chethana Rao, Pushpendra Mani Mishra, Chayan Kanti Nandi
Abstract
Fluorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) have emerged as a new class of nanomaterials in the carbon family. Due to their superior optical properties and low toxicity, CNDs have gained tremendous applications in bioimaging and in various other fields. Unfortunately, its application in super-resolution light microscopy (SRM) still has not been discussed thoroughly. Herein, we review the sequential progress of CNDs as an efficient nanoprobe for various SRM imaging modalities. At first, we will review the single-particle-level emission properties and their mechanism and then will provide comprehensive information on photon counts, on–off switching, duty cycle, and survival fractions, which are the important criteria for any fluorescent probe to be SRM active. Finally, we will discuss the successful application of CNDs to get the super-resolved structure of various subcellular organelles. We hope that this review will be helpful to gain comprehensive knowledge about the future prospects of CNDs as a new fluorescent nanoprobe for SRM imaging.