title: Stable Encapsulation of QD Barcodes with Silica Shells.
abstract: Quantum dot-doped mesoporous microbeads (QDMMs) are encapsulated with silica shells for enhanced chemical stability. The results show that a micro-emulsion procedure is highly efficient in coating QDMMs with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which is important in the subsequent deposition of a silica shell. Incorporation of fluorescent silane precursors allows direct observation of silica shells by fluorescence microscopy. The resulting silica coated QDMMs (QDMM@SiO(2)) exhibit remarkable stability against solvent-induced QD leaching and chemical-induced fluorescence quenching compared with uncoated QDMMs. Further development of this technology such as optimization of silica shell thickness, surface modification with non-fouling polymers, and conjugation with biomolecular probes will enable clinical translation of the optical barcoding technology for highly multiplexed detection and screening of genes and proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300 (Taiwan).
authors.forename: Shang-Hsiu
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xiaohu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao