Hydrothermal/Solvothermal Synthesis of Graphene Quantum Dots and Their Biological Applications

Graphene quantum dots(GQDs), as a new class of zero dimensional fluorescent carbon material, have been used in physical, chemical and biological aspects for many interesting properties, such aslow toxicity, excellent solubility, high chemical stability, and good surface activity.As a green syntheticmethod, hydrothermal/solvothermal technology has been applied to effectively controlcharacteristics ofGQDs. In this review, we summarize recent work on the hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis of GQDs and their emergingbiological applications.