As the latest member of graphene families, graphene quantum dots(GQDs)have excellent performances conferred by graphene. Besides, it exhibits additional marvelous properties due to quantum confinement and edge effects. So it has attracted more and more attention from scientists in aspects of chemistry, physical, materials, biology and so on. In the past two and three years, significant advances in both the experimental and theoretical fronts have been made for this new sort of zero-dimensional materials. In this paper, we introduce the synthetic methods of GQDs, focusing on two main approaches(top-down and bottom-up). Top-down approach consists of hydrothermal methods, electrochemical strategies and chemical exfoliation of carbon fibers. Bottom-up method mainly involves solution chemistry methods, ultrasonic and microwave preparation and controlled pyrolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We also give some brief introduce to some special methods such as electro-beam lithography and ruthenium-catalyzed C₆₀ transformation which need harsh preparation conditions, and we make a perspect for the applications of GQDs in the future. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Top-down approach
2.1 Hydrothermal methods
2.2 Electrochemical strategies
2.3 Chemical exfoliation of carbon fibers
3 Bottom-up method
3.1 Solution chemistry methods
3.2 Ultrasonic and microwave methods
3.3 Controlled pyrolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
4 Other methods
4.1 Electron-beam lithography methods
4.2 Ruthenium-catalyzed C₆₀ methods
5 Applications
6 Conclusion and perspectives