AGFD 88 |
| Recently, Quantum dots (QDs) have shown great potential for biological imaging and drug/food delivery applications. To be used for drug delivery applications, the QDs need to be able to sustain acidic pH (i.e. ~2.0). Although water-soluble CdTe quantum dots can be directly synthesized in aqueous solutions, most of the current reported QDs are not stable at pH<4.0. In this paper, we report a new method of preparing stable QDs using chitosan-thioglycolic acid (TGA) conjugated nanoparticles. First, chitosan, a linear copiolymer of beta(1-4) linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose and 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glycopyranose, is chemically modified with thiol (-SH) group. The structure and properties of chitosan-thioglycolic acid conjugated QDs are studied by FT-IR, dynamic light scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, and tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our results show that encapsulated QDs are stable even in low pH condition. |
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General Posters
1:00 PM-3:00 PM, Monday, 11 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster
Sci-Mix
Division of Agricultural & Food Chemistry |