摘要： This contribution reports for the first time about the use of carbon dots (CDs) as sensitizer to initiate and activate free radical and controlled radical polymerization based on an ATRP protocol with blue LEDs, respectively. Consideration of diverse heteroatom-doped CDs indicated well-functioning of N-doped CDs as effective photocatalyst and photosensitizer in combination with LEDs emitting either at 405 nm or 470 nm. Initiation of free radical polymerization occurred by combining the CDs with an iodonium or sulfonium salt in tri(propylene glycol) diacrylate. Polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) by photo-induced ATRP was achieved with CDs and ethyl a-bromophenylacetate using Cu(II) as catalyst in the ppm range. The polymers obtained showed temporal control, narrower dispersity ?1.5, and chain-end fidelity. The first order obtained from kinetic slope and ON/OFF experiments additionally approved constant concentration of polymer radicals. No remarkable cytotoxic activity was observed of the CDs underlining their biocompatibility.