Resonance scattering method for the ultrasensitive determination of peptides using semiconductor nanocrystals

Resonance light scattering (RLS) of the functionalized ZnS nanocrystals-peptides system and its analytical application have been studied. The RLS intensity can be efficiently enhanced when various peptides were added. The mechanism of the RLS enhancement of ZnS nanocrystals was discussed. The change of RLS intensity was in proportion to the concentration of peptides. The limits of detection were in range of 2.8-5.7 ng mL−1. Application results to synthetic samples showed simplicity, rapidity, high sensitivity and satisfactory reproducibility of the presented method. Measurements of real samples also give satisfactory results which were in good agreement with those obtained using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrography (LC-MS) methods.