Green-Synthesised Carbon Nanodots: A SWOT Analysis for their Safe and Sustainable Innovation

Abstract

This critical review provides a detailed Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of carbon nanodots (CDs) synthesised using green chemistry principles, focusing on their potential for safe and sustainable innovation. CDs offer significant strengths, such as eco-friendly synthesis, biocompatibility, and tunable optical properties, making them promising candidates for applications in bioimaging, drug delivery, and environmental monitoring. However, several weaknesses, including low quantum yield, reproducibility issues, heterogeneity, and scalability challenges, limit their widespread commercial adoption. The analysis emphasises the crucial role that integrating green chemistry, and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) innovations can play in overcoming these limitations. These approaches provide pathways to improve the consistency and scalability of CDs production without compromising environmental and human health. The review also highlights key opportunities, such as advancing synthesis techniques, optimising purification processes, and integrating CDs with other nanomaterials to enhance their properties and broaden their applications. By addressing these challenges and capitalising on the strengths and opportunities identified, the development of green-synthesised CDs can move toward a more sustainable, scalable, and industrially viable future. This review highlights the importance of standardisation and continued innovation in synthesis methods to foster the widespread adoption of green chemistry in nanotechnology.