Recent advanced carbon dots derived natural products and aptasensor-based carbon dots for detection of pesticides

Carbon dots (CDs) have gained a lot of attention and have been investigated extensively over the last decade due to their exceptional physical and chemical qualities including water solubility, low toxicity, biocompatibility, tiny size, fluorescence, and simplicity of modification. The employment of more ecologically friendly technologies to prepare high-quality CDs remains a challenge. The use of renewable, low-cost, and green biomass resources is not only required for large-scale synthesis of natural product CDs but also supports the development of sustainable applications, particularly in pesticide detection. Pesticide detection is critical because pesticides are commonly used in agriculture and the environment, potentially harming human health and the ecosystem. In this review, we discuss the most recent breakthroughs in natural product CDs, such as the detection of pesticides from various carbon sources using the applied sensing method. High sensitivity and selectivity pesticide sensors are critically needed to control food safety, protect ecosystems, and prevent disease. Therefore, we also present an overview of current breakthroughs and new trends in optical sensors for pesticide detection based on fluorescence and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) paired with pesticide-specific aptamer recognition element types based on CDs.