ABSTRACT
Quantum dots (QDs) are widely studied as luminescence probes in biological
and medical research in recent years. Compared with the conventional dyes
used as imaging probes, QDs have several advantages in optical and chemical
properties such as tunable emission from visible to infrared wavelengths by
changing their size and composition, broader excitation spectra due to high
absorption coefficients, high quantum yield of fluorescence, strong brightness,
photo stability, and high resistance to photobleaching. These unique properties
of QDs have attracted tremendous interest in exploiting them in a variety of
biological field [1-3]. However, the potential applications of quantum dots in
biology andmedicine were limited due to the toxic effects of semiconductor QDs,
which have received enormous attention over the past few years. In order to
reduce the cytotoxicity of QDs, two strategies were devised.
