Quantum confinement effect of CdSe induced by nanoscale solvothermal reaction.

We report a novel method, nanoscale solvothermal reaction (NSR), to induce the quantum confinement effect of CdSe on nanostructured TiO(2) by solvothermal route. The time-dependent growth of CdSe is observed in solution at room temperature, which is found to be accomplished instantly by heat-treatment in the presence of solvent at 1 atm. However, no crystal growth occurs upon heat-treatment in the absence of solvent.

A new PEG-lipid conjugate micelle for encapsulation of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots.

A new polymer conjugate of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA), PEG-PCDA conjugate, was synthesized by coupling reaction between carboxyl group of PCDA and hydroxyl group of PEG. Luminescent CdSe/ZnS QDs were encapsulated in the polymer micelles of mixtures of PEG-PCDA and PCDA using solid dispersion method to prepare water-soluble and biocompatible QD micelles. Upon UV-irradiation, the core of QD micelles was further stabilized by intramicellar crosslinking between neighboring PCDA moieties.

Preparation and characterization of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(D,L-lactide) micelle nanoparticles.

The final goal of this study is to develop multi-functional organic/inorganic hybrid nanoparticles, which can be utilized as biomedical imaging probes and drug delivery carriers. As an initial step toward this goal, we encapsulated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) into poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(D,L-lactide) (PEG-PLA) micelles using a solid dispersion method. The size and fluorescent intensity of QDs encapsulated in PEG-PLA micelles depended on the amount of incorporated QDs.

Preparation of orthogonally functionalized surface using micromolding in capillaries technique for the control of cellular adhesion.

This study presents a simple method for the fabrication of an orthogonal surface that can be applied for cell patterning without the need to immobilize specific adhesive peptides, proteins, or extracellular matrix (ECM) for cell attachment. Micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) produced two distinctive regions. One region contained poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(D,L-lactide) diblock copolymer (PEG-PLA) designed to provide a biological barrier to the nonspecific binding of proteins and fibroblast cells.