A polymer encapsulation approach to prepare zwitterion-like, biocompatible quantum dots with wide pH and ionic stability.
A surface modification approach adopting polymer encapsulation was developed to prepare zwitterion-like quantum dots (ZWL-QDs). The fundamental physical, chemical, and biological properties of the ZWL-QDs were characterized. It is found that the ZWL-QDs almost preserve the quantum yield (QY) of native hydrophobic QDs in organic solvents, and also are compact in size (7 ~ 10 nm hydrodynamic diameter) and stable over wide pHs or in high salinity solutions. Further cellular study shows that the ZWL-QDs with a concentration less than 100 nM have a minimal cytotoxicity and thus are biocompatible. Characterizing and understanding these essential properties of the ZWL-QDs are an important step before employing them for various applications.
Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Liming
L
Huang
Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Mingxia
M
Liao
Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Siqi
S
Chen
Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Violeta G
VG
Demillo
Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Sally A
SA
Dupre
Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Xiaoshan
X
Zhu
Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Nelson G
NG
Publicover
Biomedical Engineering Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
Kenneth W
KW
Hunter
Colloidal stability; CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots; Nanoparticle surface modification; Polymer encapsulation; Zwitterionic like