Complexes of photosensitizer and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots passivated with BSA: optical properties and intracomplex energy transfer

Abstract

Here we report our investigations of the formation conditions and photophysical properties of complexes between luminescent semiconducting nanoparticles (quantum dots, QDs) and the photosensitizer chlorin e6, which is widely used for the photodynamic therapy. In our complexes, bovine serum albumin (BSA), the most abundant protein in blood serum, was used as a linker between QDs and chlorin e6 molecules. The influence of BSA on the optical properties of Ce6 and QDs in complexes was properly examined using spectral-luminescent methods. It was found that BSA passivated QD surface and substantially QD quantum yield of luminescence was increased. In addition, BSA prevented the aggregation of chlorin e6 molecules in complexes with QDs. We demonstrated that the use of BSA as a linker allows to create functional QD-chlorin e6 complexes with effective photoexcitation energy transfer from QDs to the molecules.