Click-functionalized compact quantum dots protected by multidentate-imidazole ligands: conjugation-ready nanotags for living-virus labeling and imaging.

We synthesized a new class of mutifunctional multidentate-imidazole polymer ligands by one-step reaction to produce conjugation-ready QDs with great stability and compact size. Furthermore, combined with strain-promoted click chemistry, we developed a general strategy for efficient labeling of living-viruses with QD probes.