Nano Review
Quantum dots: synthesis, bioapplications, and toxicity
1 Department of Medical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Science, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, 51664, Iran
2 Department of Physics, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
3 Faculty of Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, 51664, Iran
4 Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Research Center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, 51656-65811, Iran
Nanoscale Research Letters 2012, 7:480 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-7-480
Published: 28 August 2012Abstract
This review introduces quantum dots (QDs) and explores their properties, synthesis, applications, delivery systems in biology, and their toxicity. QDs are one of the first nanotechnologies to be integrated with the biological sciences and are widely anticipated to eventually find application in a number of commercial consumer and clinical products. They exhibit unique luminescence characteristics and electronic properties such as wide and continuous absorption spectra, narrow emission spectra, and high light stability. The application of QDs, as a new technology for biosystems, has been typically studied on mammalian cells. Due to the small structures of QDs, some physical properties such as optical and electron transport characteristics are quite different from those of the bulk materials.
