Semiconductor quantum dots as highly effective biosensing tools

Abstract

In this paper, highly luminescent core/shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dots have been used in the construction of two sensing systems for the detection of oligonucleotide hybridization and enzymatic reaction by covalent binding the biomolecules directly to the surface of the quantum dots. It is shown that the oligonucleotide-modified quantum dots have proven to be able to detect large sequences of mismatched bases through the hybridization process, while the system based on biosilica encapsulated enzyme-modified quantum dots was found to be suitable for monitoring low substrate concentrations in solution and with a storage lifetime of more than 2 months.