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Characterization Of L-Malic Acid-Capped Cds Quantum Dots And Examination Of The Nanoncrystal's Biosensor Ability, Andrei A. Potapenko

Honors Theses and Capstones

Ligand-capped quantum dots are microscopic semiconductors commonly used in biomedical research and therapy for cell imaging and drug delivery. Despite the abundance of in vivo applications, the nature of interactions between the nanocrystals and the amino acids comprising human proteins remains insufficiently investigated. In this work, we report on the synthesis, ligand exchange, and characterization of the L-malic acid-capped CdS quantum dots via various spectroscopic techniques. We also assess the ligand-capped nanocrystals as potential probes for some amino acids. We determine that in the presence of L-cysteine, the L-malic acid-capped CdS quantum dots fluorescence signal quenches drastically, thus indicating a …