000162112 001__ 162112 000162112 005__ 20251017144612.0 000162112 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1021/acsnano.5c03934 000162112 0248_ $$2sideral$$a144710 000162112 037__ $$aART-2025-144710 000162112 041__ $$aeng 000162112 100__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-2855-4801$$aGhirardello, Mattia$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000162112 245__ $$aCarbon dots as an emergent class of sustainable antifungal agents 000162112 260__ $$c2025 000162112 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000162112 5203_ $$aCarbon-based functional nanomaterials with distinct photoluminescent properties have gained significant attention for their diverse applications in bioimaging, biomedicine, and antimicrobial treatments. Among these, carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as promising fluorescent nanomaterials due to their inherent photoluminescence properties, high stability, water solubility, ease of functionalization, biocompatibility, and low synthetic cost. Many strategies have been developed for their synthesis, utilizing a myriad of carbon precursors from small molecules to bulk or waste materials, which influence their structural and photoluminescent properties. Their fluorescence emission and functionality can be tuned through heteroatom doping, surface modifications, and reaction conditions, making them highly tunable nanomaterials suitable for applications in sensing, catalysis, anticancer and antimicrobial treatments, and biomedical imaging. This review explores various types of synthesized CDs, their structural features, and their applications in fungal bioimaging, antifungal therapies, and protective food packaging to demonstrate their potential in combating fungal resistance and contamination challenges. 000162112 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/RYC2022-037742-I$$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/101034288/EU/International Fellowship Programme for Talent Attraction to the Campus of International Excellence Campus Iberus/IberusExperience$$9This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No H2020 101034288-IberusExperience 000162112 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aby$$uhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 000162112 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000162112 700__ $$aRamos-Soriano, Javier 000162112 700__ $$aGalán, M. Carmen 000162112 7102_ $$12013$$2765$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Química Orgánica$$cÁrea Química Orgánica 000162112 773__ $$g(2025), [27 pp.]$$pACS Nano$$tACS NANO$$x1936-0851 000162112 8564_ $$s3570894$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162112/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000162112 8564_ $$s3136429$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162112/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000162112 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:162112$$particulos$$pdriver 000162112 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:18:04 000162112 980__ $$aARTICLE