Recent experience with the COVID-19 pandemic should be a lesson learnt with respect to the effort we have to invest in the development of new strategies for the treatment of viral diseases, along with their cheap, easy, sensitive, and selective detection. Since we live in a globalized world where just hours can play a crucial role in the spread of a virus, its detection must be as quick as possible. Thanks to their chemical stability, photostability, and superior biocompatibility, carbon dots are a kind of nanomaterial showing great potential in both the detection of various virus strains and a broad-spectrum antiviral therapy. The biosensing and antiviral properties of carbon dots can be tuned by the selection of synthesis precursors as well as by easy post-synthetic functionalization. In this review, we will first summarize current options of virus detection utilizing carbon dots by either electrochemical or optical biosensing approaches. Secondly, we will cover and share the up-to-date knowledge of carbon dots' antiviral properties, which showed promising activity against various types of viruses including SARS-CoV-2. The mechanisms of their antiviral actions will be further adressed as well. Finally, we will discuss the advantages and distadvantages of the use of carbon dots in the tangled battle against viral infections in order to provide valuable informations for further research and development of new virus biosensors and antiviral therapeutics.

• Keywords
• Antiviral, Biosensors, COVID-19, Carbon dots, Coronavirus, Functionalization of carbon dots, Virus detection,
• MeSH
• Antiviral Agents pharmacology   MeSH
• Biocompatible Materials MeSH
• Biosensing Techniques MeSH
• Molecular Targeted Therapy MeSH
• COVID-19 diagnosis   therapy   MeSH
• Electrochemistry MeSH
• COVID-19 Drug Treatment * MeSH
• Phototherapy MeSH
• Quantum Dots * MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Nanostructures MeSH
• Polymers MeSH
• SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
• COVID-19 Testing methods   MeSH
• Carbon chemistry   MeSH
• Virus Diseases MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Antiviral Agents MeSH
• Biocompatible Materials MeSH
• Polymers MeSH
• Carbon MeSH