Perovskite Quantum Dots as Dual-Functional Nanomaterials for Sensitive Optical Detection and Photocatalytic Degradation of Antibiotics in Environmental Applications.

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have attracted intense interest for environmental remediation owing to their outstanding optoelectronic properties; however, their simultaneous use for both sensitive optical detection and efficient photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics within a single platform remains largely unexplored and conceptually fragmented. This comprehensive review examines the latest advances in PQD-based materials for antibiotic sensing and photocatalytic degradation, with particular emphasis on emerging efforts to integrate both functions into unified, dual-functional systems. We discuss synthesis strategies, surface engineering approaches for enhanced stability, lead-free alternatives, sensing mechanisms (IFE, ET, FRET, etc.), and visible-light-driven photocatalytic pathways, supported by comparative analyses of performance metrics, kinetics, and degradation routes. Although numerous studies report either excellent fluorescence sensing or high photocatalytic activity, genuine dual-functional platforms that perform both tasks effectively and recyclably under real environmental conditions are still rare. Key challenges such as aqueous instability, lead toxicity, incomplete mineralization, and lack of standardized testing in complex matrices are analyzed in detail. Finally, we outline promising directions-including heterostructuring, computational and data-driven design, and modular sensing-degradation devices-to realize practical, sustainable, and truly bifunctional PQD systems for next-generation antibiotic monitoring and remediation.