title: Methods to Characterize the Oligonucleotide Functionalization of Quantum Dots.
abstract: Currently, DNA nanotechnology offers the most programmable, scalable, and accurate route for the self-assembly of matter with nanometer precision into 1, 2, or 3D structures. One example is DNA origami that is well suited to serve as a molecularly defined "breadboard", and thus, to organize various nanomaterials such as nanoparticles into hybrid systems. Since the controlled assembly of quantum dots (QDs) is of high interest in the field of photonics and other optoelectronic applications, a more detailed view on the functionalization of QDs with oligonucleotides shall be achieved. In this work, four different methods are presented to characterize the functionalization of thiol-capped cadmium telluride QDs with oligonucleotides and for the precise quantification of the number of oligonucleotides bound to the QD surface. This study enables applications requiring the self-assembly of semiconductor-oligonucleotide hybrid materials and proves the conjugation success in a simple and straightforward manner.
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weichelt
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leubner
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Henning-Knechtel
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.|Kurt-Schwabe-Institute e.V. Meinsberg, Kurt-Schwabe-Str. 4, 04736, Waldheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mertig
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gaponik
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Thorsten-Lars
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Physical Chemistry and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed), Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany. alexander.eychmueller@chemie.tu-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eychmüller
mesh_terms: D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D049449:Luminescence; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013691:Tellurium / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D004247:DNA; D004492:Edetic Acid; D013691:Tellurium; C028337:cadmium telluride
keywords: DNA nanotechnology; PL quenching; bioconjugation; gel electrophoresis; quantum dots