Surface Processing with Sulfonic Acid for Quantum Dot and Its Characteristics

摘要

We developed the smaller sized quantum dots covered with sodium 2-mercaptoethanesurfonate which has a sulfonyl group (QDs-SO_3~-), and compared its stability in acid, salt and buffer solutions with that of the quantum dots covered with the mercaptoundecanoic acid (QDs-MUA) and covered with the NH_2 group (QDs-NH_2). We found that the QD-SO_3~-well disperses in these solutions without quenching and this stability holds on 24 hours. Next, we observed the cell damage caused by the quantum dots. In the evaluation of cell damage, QD-SO_3~- did not show noticeable cell damage in the 0.2mg/mL by the comet assay as well as QD-MUA and QD-NH_2 in the same concentration. All these results could suggest that SO_3~- might be useful for the biomedical engineering.