Spectroscopic investigation on the binding interactions between graphene quantum dots and carbonic anhydrase

• Carbonic anhydrase was selected as a model protein to assess the interactions between ultrasmall grapheme quantum dots and biomacromolecules. • A range of spectroscopic techniques were employed to systematically investigate the binding interactions. • Van der Waal interactions and hydrogen bonding were the main driving forces. • The binding interactions resulted in the reduction of the biological functions of carbonic anhydrase. As a new...