Facile Synthesis of Near-Infrared CdTe Quantum Dots via Sonoelectrochemistry and Its Application for Cell Imaging

Aiming at the simplification of synthesis routes and the improvement of photoluminescence quantum yields (PL QYs), a facile and fast method has been developed to synthesize CdTe quantum dots (QDs) precursor in aqueous phase by sonoelectrochemistry without the protection of N-2. The high qualities, water-soluble, near-infrared-emitting CdTe QDs were obtained by refluxing of the precursors in oil bath. The morphology, structure and composition of the products were investigated by HRTEM and XRD. The influences of sonoelectrochemical and refluxing parameters on the PL properties of products were studied. By adjusting the current pulse width, reaction time and reaction temperature, the size- and morphology-controlled CdTe QDs precursors were obtained. CdTe QDs with different emission wavelengths were obtained by followed refluxing. The as-prepared QDs with near-infrared emission of 602 nm were used in the labeling of Hela cell and imaging by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Compared with traditional synthesis, sonoelectrochemical route is facile and controllable in the synthesis for water-soluble high-quality QDs, which extends its application in the preparation of nanomaterials.