Stable functionalized PEGylated quantum dots micelles with a controlled stoichiometry.

Here we report the synthesis of monofunctional PEGylated amide ligands that were used to prepare bioactivable quantum dots of a 20 nm diameter with a controlled mean number of the covalently grafted ligands. They are stable in aqueous medium of high salinity including a large pH domain.

The exposure of bacteria to CdTe-core quantum dots: the importance of surface chemistry on cytotoxicity.

A series of water-soluble CdTe-core quantum dots (QDs) with diameters below 5.0 nm and functionalized at their surface with polar ligands such as thioglycolic acid (TGA) or the tripeptide glutathione (GSH) were synthesized and characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, their photoluminescence measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Because cell elongations and growth inhibitions were observed during labeling experiments, the cytotoxicity of CdTe-core QDs was investigated.