Synthesis and characterization of poly(lactic acid)-conjugated CdTe quantum dots

• CdTe QDs surface-grafted with PLA are biocompatible and strongly fluorescent PLA film containing 7.5 and 15 wt% plasticizer provides better retention of quality.
• The method for preparing PLA-grafted CdTE QDs is simple Mushroom packaged by plasticized PLA film received higher sensory rating.
• The fluorescence QY of the as-prepared CdTe QDs and PLA-conjugated CdTe QDs was more than 60%.
• Conjugation of PLA to the surface of CdTe QDs reduced their cytotoxicity.

Novel poly(lactic acid)-conjugated CdTe quantum dots (PLA-conjugated CdTe QDs) were synthesized by surface grafting through living polymerization of lactic acid O-carboxyanhydride (LacOCA) on CdTe quantum dots. The PLA-conjugated CdTe QDs were spherical nanoparticle, and they were relatively uniform with a diameter of 4.5 nm. The PLA-conjugated CdTe QDs showed strong blue fluorescence emission in vitro, and their luminescence was stable in aqueous solution for more than 60 d. Furthermore, these QDs showed low cytotoxicity towards HaCaT cells in vitro. The results suggest potential applications for PLA-conjugated CdTe QDs in biological staining and diagnostics.

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