Water-soluble nanocrystals through dual-interaction ligands

Abstract

(Figure Presented) No fear of water: Hydrophobic nanocrystals (NCs) are converted into hydrophilic ones by dual-interaction ligands, which bind onto the surface of NCs by coordinate bonding and hydrophobic van der Waals interactions. The resulting NCs have high stability in aqueous solutions over a wide pH range (1-14), salt concentrations, and thermal treatments. Quantum dots coated with these ligands are excellent fluorescence labels for immunostaining tests. © 2008 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.