Abstract
Quantum dots (QDs) are nanometer-sized semiconductor particles with tunable fluorescent optical property that can be adjusted by their chemical composition, size, or shape. In the past 10 years, they have been demonstrated as a powerful fluorescence tool for biological and biomedical applications, such as diagnostics, biosensing and biolabeling. QDs with high fluorescence quantum yield and optical stability are usually synthesized in organic solvents. In aqueous solution, however, their metallic toxicity, non-dissolubility and photo-luminescence instability prevent the direct utility of QDs in biological media. Polymers are widely used to cover and coat QDs for fabricating biocompatible QDs. Such hybrid materials can provide solubility and robust colloidal and optical stability in water. At the same time, polymers can carry ionic or reactive functional groups for incorporation into the end-use application of QDs, such as receptor targeting and cell attachment. This review provides an overview of the recent development of methods for generating biocompatible polymer/QDs hybrid materials with desirable properties. Polymers with different architectures, such as homo- and co-polymer, hyperbranched polymer, and polymeric nanogel, have been used to anchor and protect QDs. The resulted biocompatible polymer/QDs hybrid materials show successful applications in the fields of bioimaging and biosensing. While considerable progress has been made in the design of biocompatible polymer/QDs materials, the research challenges and future developments in this area should affect the technologies of biomaterials and biosensors and result in even better biocompatible polymer/QDs hybrid materials.
Highlights
In the life sciences, fluorescence is widely used as a significant technique for people to study and understand the biological structure of organism, the cell-cell interaction and the interplay of biomolecules
They determined that 3% of poly(2-(dimethy-lamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) chain interacted directly with quantum dots (QDs) as train structure and 97% was present in form of loops and tails protruding into solution (Figure 4)
The above works show that ligand exchange provides an efficient method for researchers to fabricate biocompatible polymer/QDs hybrid materials
Summary
Fluorescence is widely used as a significant technique for people to study and understand the biological structure of organism, the cell-cell interaction and the interplay of biomolecules In this technique, kinds of fluorophores are developed to label, detect and image the bio-targets. QDs are made from toxic elements against aqueous organism Because of their non-dissolubility, photoluminescence instability and metallic toxicity in water, QDs are usually required to be modulated by passivation process, whereby other hydrophilic coating materials bind or coordinate to QDs surface, to provide biocompatibility and bio-stability. To achieve this goal, polymers with excellent biocompatibility and low toxicity are successfully and widely employed to modify QDs surface and engineer biocompatible.
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