Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The influence of surface coating on the properties of water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Nanoparticle Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is well-known that ligands coating the surface of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots [QDs]) play an important role in the preparation, stability and physical properties of the colloidal QDs in both organic and aqueous media. Here we report on the synthesis and characterization of core (CdSe QDs) and core–shell structured QDs (CdSe/ZnS QDs), both of them stabilized in aqueous medium through different mechanisms of modification of their surface chemistry. The approaches evaluated for QDs transfer to aqueous media were ligand exchange and polymer coating. Experiments were performed using two typical thioalkyl acids as ligands, namely mercaptoacetic acid (QDs-MAA) and 2-mercaptoethanesulphonic acid (QDs-MES), and an amphiphilic polymer (PQDs) based on poly(maleic anhydride) functional groups. The effects of pH (buffer solution), illumination and the presence of ions in the QD environment on the spectroscopic properties of the different synthesized QDs are reported. The stability of the prepared QDs has been comparatively evaluated aimed to elucidate which surface chemistry provides the suitable properties to be employed as fluorescence labels in distinct types of applications. The experimental results and conclusions will be useful for the development of sensitive sensors or assays adopting QDs as fluorescence labels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aldana J, Lavelle N, Wang Y, Peng X (2005) Size-dependent dissociation pH of thiolate ligands from cadmium chalcogenide nanocrystals. J Am Chem Soc 127:2496–2504

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Algar WR, Susumu K, Delehanty JB, Medintz IL (2011) Semiconductor quantum dots in bioanalysis: crossing the valley of death. Anal Chem 83:8826–8837

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson RE, Chan WCW (2008) Systematic investigation of preparing biocompatible, single, and small ZnS-capped CdSe quantum dots with amphiphilic polymers. ACS Nano 2:1341–1352

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bol AA, Meijerink A (2001) Luminescence quantum efficiency of nanocrystalline ZnS:Mn2+. 2. Enhancement by UV irradiation. J Phys Chem B 105:10203–10209

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bruchez M, Moronne M, Gin P, Weiss S, Alivisatos AP (1998) Semiconductor nanocrystals as fluorescent biological labels. Science 281:2013–2016

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carrillo-Carrion C, Cardenas S, Simonet BM, Valcarcel M (2009) Quantum dots luminescence enhancement due to illumination with UV/Vis light. Chem Commun 35:5214–5226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan WCW, Nie S (1998) Quantum dot bioconjugates for ultrasensitive nonisotopic detection. Science 281:2016–2018

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chan WCW, Maxwell DJ, Gao X, Bailey RE, Han M, Nie S (2002) Luminescent quantum dots for multiplexed biological detection and imaging. Curr Opin Biotechnol 13:40–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coto-García AM, Fernandez-Argüelles MT, Costa-Fernández JM, Sanz-Medel A (2009) Entrapment of quantum dots in sol–gel matrices to develop sensing material based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Chem Commun 36:5454–5456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez-Argüelles MT, Jin WJ, Costa-Fernández JM, Pereiro R, Sanz-Medel A (2005) Surface-modified CdSe quantum dots for the sensitive and selective determination of Cu(II) in aqueous solutions by luminescent measurements. Anal Chim Acta 549:20–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez-Argüelles MT, Yakovlev A, Sperling RA, Luccardini C, Gaillard S, Sanz-Medel A, Mallet J, Brochon J, Feltz A, Oheim M, Parak WJ (2007) Synthesis and characterization of polymer-coated quantum dots with integrated acceptor dyes as FRET-based nanoprobes. Nano Lett 7:2613–2617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalita M, Cingarapu S, Roy S, Park SC, Higgins D, Jankowiak R, Chikan V, Klabunde KJ, Bossmann SH (2012) Direct synthesis of aqueous quantum dots through 4,4′-bipyridine-based twin ligand strategy. Inorg Chem 51:4521–4526

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lakowicz JR (2006) Principles of fluorescence spectroscopy, 3rd edn. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Liz-Marzan LM, Giersig M, Mulvaney P (1996) Synthesis of nanosized gold–silica core–shell particles. Langmuir 12:4329–4335

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mazumder DRS, Mitra MK, Mukherjee S, Das GC (2009) Biofunctionalized quantum dots in biology and medicine. J Nano Mater 2009:1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Mekis I, Talapin DV, Kornowski A, Haase M, Weller H (2003) One-pot synthesis of highly luminescent CdSe/CdS core–shell nanocrystals via organometallic and “Greener” chemical approaches. J Phys Chem B 107:7454–7462

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oda M, Tsukamoto J, Hasegawa A, Iwami N, Nishiura K, Hagiwara I, Ando N, Horiuchi H, Tani T (2007) Photobrightening of CdSe/ZnS/TOPO nanocrystals. J Lumin 122:762–765

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parak WJ, Gerion D, Pellegrino T, Zanchet D, Micheel C, Williams SC, Boudreau R, Le Gros MA, Larabell CA, Alivisatos AP (2003) Biological applications of colloidal nanocrystals. Nanotechnology 14:R15

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parak WJ, Pellegrino T, Plank C (2005) Labelling of cells with quantum dots. Nanotechnology 16:R9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pellegrino T, Manna L, Kudera S, Liedl T, Koktysh D, Rogach AL, Keller S, Rädler J, Natile G, Parak WJ (2004) Hydrophobic nanocrystals coated with an amphiphilic polymer shell: a general route to water soluble nanocrystals. Nano Lett 4:703–707

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng ZA, Peng X (2001) Formation of high-quality CdTe, CdSe, and CdS nanocrystals using CdO as precursor. J Am Chem Soc 123:183–184

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qu L, Peng X (2002) Control of photoluminescence properties of CdSe nanocrystals in growth. J Am Chem Soc 124:2049–2055

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Resch-Genger U, Grabolle M, Cavaliere-Jaricot S, Nitschke R, Nann T (2008) Quantum dots versus organic dyes as fluorescent labels. Nat Methods 5:763–765

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith AM, Duan H, Mohs AM, Nie S (1998) Bioconjugated quantum dots for in vivo molecular and cellular imaging. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 60:1226–1240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu WW, Qu L, Guo W, Peng X (2003) Experimental determination of the extinction coefficient of CdTe, CdSe, and CdS nanocrystals. Chem Mater 15:2854–2860

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan CT, Chou WC, Chuu DS, Chen YN, Lin CA, Chang WH (2008) Photoinduced fluorescence enhancement in colloidal CdSeTe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots. Appl Phys Lett 92:183108

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Financial support from Project CTQ2006-02309/BQU (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation cofinanced by the EU FEDER Programme) is gratefully acknowledged. A. M. Coto-García acknowledges a FPU Grant AP2006-03787, awarded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Oviedo, Avda. Julian Claveria 8, 33006, Oviedo, Spain

    Ana María Coto-García, María T. Fernández-Argüelles, José M. Costa-Fernández & Alfredo Sanz-Medel

  2. Department of Electric and Electronic Engineering, University of Oviedo, Campus de Gijón, 33204, Gijón, Spain

    Marta Valledor, Juan C. Campo & Francisco J. Ferrero

Authors
  1. Ana María Coto-García
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. María T. Fernández-Argüelles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. José M. Costa-Fernández
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Alfredo Sanz-Medel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Marta Valledor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Juan C. Campo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Francisco J. Ferrero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to María T. Fernández-Argüelles or Alfredo Sanz-Medel.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Coto-García, A.M., Fernández-Argüelles, M.T., Costa-Fernández, J.M. et al. The influence of surface coating on the properties of water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. J Nanopart Res 15, 1330 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-012-1330-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-012-1330-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation