Dual Catalysis Enabled by Carbon Dots: Emerging Strategies in Organic Synthesis

Carbon Dots (CDs) have emerged as versatile and tunable carbon-based nanomaterials with peculiar photophysical, electronic, and surface chemical properties that make them attractive candidates for catalytic applications. Beyond their role as standalone catalysts, CDs have recently gained attention as cooperative components in dual-catalyst systems, where synergistic interactions with a second catalytic entity enable reactivity profiles which are difficult to achieve using single catalysts alone. In this perspective, we first discuss the synthesis, purification, and characterization of CDs, particularly focusing on the crucial properties required to optimize nanomaterials with solid catalytic performances. Then, we critically examine the development of CD-assisted dual catalytic strategies in organic synthesis, exploring reaction classes, mechanistic pathways, and structure–activity relationships, with emphasis on the cooperative effects arising from catalyst–catalyst interactions. Finally, we outline the future directions for the rational design of CD-based systems, both identifying the current design challenges and the opportunities that CDs offer to unlock new transformations in organic synthesis.