SYNTHESIS, PHASE TRANSFER AND SURFACE MODIFICATION OF HYDROPHOBIC QUANTUM DOTS FOR BIOAPPLICATIONS

We review the preparation, phase transfer, surface modification and possible bioapplications of hydrophobic CdSe based quantum dots (QDs). CdSe cores with rod and spherical morphologies were prepared through adjusting preparation conditions. The photoluminescence (PL) of the QDs depended strongly on preparation conditions. The QDs were coated with semiconductor shells to improve their PL properties. Anisotropic growth occurred during shell coating. Core/shell QDs revealed tunable PL and high PL efficiencies up to 90%. The phase transfer of QDs from oil phase to water phase was carried out via polymer or a sol-gel process. The silanization of the QDs plays an important role for the sol-gel process. Because of a SiO2 coating, the surface modification of the QDs for bioapplications became easy. After transferring into water phase, the QDs still retained high PL efficiency. Because of their high PL, these biofunctional materials could provide a platform for various applications.