One-pot preparation of highly photoluminescent silica nanoparticles incorporating dozens of hydrophobic quantum dots

Abstract

The preparation process of silica nanoparticles incorporating multiple hydrophobic CdSe-based quantum dots (QDs) was further developed. By adjusting the amount of partially hydrolyzed silane coupling agent and reaction time, silica nanoparticles with various photoluminescence wavelengths from green to red were prepared in one-pot with photoluminescent efficiency up to 65 % of the initial value with high yield (more than 80 %). The simpler and faster synthesis than ever presents a guideline for encapsulating various types of hydrophobic QDs into silica nanoparticles especially for biomedical applications.