Synthesis and Application of Silica-Coated Quantum Dots in Biomedicine
Xuan‐Hung Pham, Seung Min Park, Kyeong-Min Ham, San Kyeong, Byung Sung Son, Jaehi Kim, Eunil Hahm, Yoonhee Kim, Sungje Bock, Woo-Yeon Kim, Seunho Jung, Sangtaek Oh, Sang Hun Lee, Do Won Hwang, Bong‐Hyun Jun
Abstract
Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanoparticles with outstanding optoelectronic properties. More specifically, QDs are highly bright and exhibit wide absorption spectra, narrow light bands, and excellent photovoltaic stability, which make them useful in bioscience and medicine, particularly for sensing, optical imaging, cell separation, and diagnosis. In general, QDs are stabilized using a hydrophobic ligand during synthesis, and thus their hydrophobic surfaces must undergo hydrophilic modification if the QDs are to be used in bioapplications. Silica-coating is one of the most effective methods for overcoming the disadvantages of QDs, owing to silica's physicochemical stability, nontoxicity, and excellent bioavailability. This review highlights recent progress in the design, preparation, and application of silica-coated QDs and presents an overview of the major challenges and prospects of their application.