Organic solar cells are a current research hotspot in the energy field because of their advantages of lightness,translucency,roll to roll printing and building integration.With the rapid development of small molecule acceptor materials with high-performance,the efficiency of organic solar cells has been greatly improved.Further improving the device efficiency and stability and reducing the cost of active layer materials will contribute to the industrial development of organic solar cells.As a novel type of carbon nanomaterials,carbon dots gradually show great application potential in the field of organic solar cells due to their advantages of low preparation cost,non-toxicity and excellent photoelectric performance.Firstly,the synthesis and classification of carbon dots are briefly introduced.Secondly,the photoelectric properties of carbon dots and their adjusting,including adjustable surface energy level structure,good film-forming performance and up/down conversion characteristics are summarized.Thirdly,based on these intrinsic properties,the feasibility and advantages of carbon dots used in organic solar cells are discussed.Fourthly,the application progress of carbon dots in the active layer,hole transport layer,electron transport layer,interface modification layer and down-conversion materials of organic solar cells is also reviewed.Finally,the application progress of carbon dots in organic solar cells is prospected.Several further research directions,including in-depth exploration of the controllable preparation of carbon dots and their application in the fields of interface layer and up/down conversion for improving efficiency and stability of device are pointed out.