Photostable water-dispersible NIR-emitting CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–shell–shell quantum dots for high-resolution tumor targeting

摘要: Near-infrared (NIR, 700–900 nm) fluorescent quantum dots are highly promising as NIR bioprobes for high-resolution and high-sensitivity bioimaging applications. In this article, we present a class of NIR-emitting CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–shell–shell (QDs), which directly prepared in aqueous phase via facile microwave synthesis. Significantly, the QDs possess excellent dispersibility, strong photoluminescence, favorable biocompatibility, robust storage-, chemical-, photo-stability, finely tunable emission range (700–800 nm). The readily functionalized with antibodies use immunofluorescent bioimaging, yielding spectrally spatially resolved in vitro in vivo imaging. comparison to large size 15–30 nm conventional QDs, extremely small (∼4.2 nm or 7.5 nm measured by TEM DLS, respectively) our offers great opportunities high-efficiency targeted imaging cells animals.