Near infrared quantum dots in biomedical applications: current status and future perspective

To address the requirements of biomedical applications including biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery, fluorescent nanomaterials served as efficient tools in many cases. Among them, near‐infrared quantum dots (NIR QDs) have been used as novel fluorescent labels for their binary advantages of both QDs and NIR light. In this review, through collecting references in recent 10 years, we have introduced basic structures and properties of NIR QDs and summarized the classification and the related synthetic methods. This review also highlights the functionalization and surface bioconjugation of NIR QDs, and their biomedical applications in biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Extinction coefficient value of water and oxy‐ and deoxyhemoglobin plotted ranging from visible to near‐infrared wavelength.
Source: Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Overview Source Type: research