Systematic investigation of preparing biocompatible, single, and small ZnS-capped CdSe quantum dots with amphiphilic polymers

The successful transfer of nanoparticles between solvents is critical for many applications. We evaluated the impact of amphiphilic polymer composition on the size, transfer efficiency, and biocompatibility of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide/hexadecylamine-stabilized semiconductor ZnS-capped CdSe and CdS-capped CdTe_x Se_1-x quantum dots (QDs). We also investigated the adsorption of various proteins onto the surface of these QDs and studied the effect of surface chemistry on non-specific protein binding. The results from these studies will have implications in the design of QDs and other nanoparticles for biological and biomedical applications.