Semiconductor Quantum Dots for Bioanalysis

Semiconductor nanoparticles, or quantum dots (QDs), have unique photophysical properties, such as size-controlled fluorescence, have high fluorescence quantum yields, and stability against photobleaching. These properties enable the use of QDs as optical labels for the multiplexed analysis of immunocomplexes or DNA hybridization processes. Semiconductor QDs are also used to probe biocatalytic transformations. The time-dependent replication or telomerization of nucleic acids, the oxidation of phenol derivatives by tyrosinase, or the hydrolytic cleavage of peptides by proteases are probed by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer or photoinduced electron transfer. The photoexcitation of QD-biomolecule…