One-pot preparation of highly fluorescent cadmium telluride/cadmium sulfide quantum dots under neutral-pH condition for biological applications

Yian Zhu; Zhen Li; Min Chen; Helen M Cooper; Gao Qing Max Lu; Zhi Ping Xu

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2012.08.003

One-pot preparation of highly fluorescent cadmium telluride/cadmium sulfide quantum dots under neutral-pH condition for biological applications

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2013 Jan 15;390(1):3-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2012.08.003. Epub 2012 Oct 2.

Authors

Yian Zhu¹, Zhen Li, Min Chen, Helen M Cooper, Gao Qing Max Lu, Zhi Ping Xu

Affiliation

¹ ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia.

PMID: 23089593
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2012.08.003

Abstract

Water-soluble CdTe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) with tuneable emissions were prepared in aqueous solution at pH=6-7 via refluxing and hydrothermal treatment. The resultant CdTe/CdS QDs are stabilized with mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) and show high fluorescence quantum yields (maximum QY is 84%). Characterization with UV-Vis, PL, XPS, XRD and TEM demonstrates a core (CdTe)-shell (CdS) structure, which leads to high fluorescence quantum yields. The effective protection from CdS shell and MSA enables CdTe QDs to be chemically stable in a pH range of 6-9 and less toxic. These merits make our CdTe/CdS QDs very promising for bio-imaging applications, as exemplified by labelling HEK 293 cells.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cadmium Compounds / chemistry*
Cadmium Compounds / pharmacology
HEK293 Cells
Humans
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Materials Testing / methods
Quantum Dots*
Sulfides / chemistry*
Sulfides / pharmacology
Tellurium / chemistry*
Tellurium / pharmacology

Substances

Cadmium Compounds
Sulfides
cadmium sulfide
Tellurium
cadmium telluride