The Photoluminescence and Biocompatibility of CuInS2-Based Ternary Quantum Dots and Their Biological Applications

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have become a unique class of materials with great potential for applications in biomedical and optoelectronic devices. However, conventional QDs contains toxic heavy metals such as Pb, Cd and Hg. Hence, it is imperative to find an alternative material with similar o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inChemosensors Vol. 8; no. 4; p. 101
Main Authors Jose Varghese, Rajendran, Oluwafemi, Oluwatobi Samuel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published MDPI AG 01.12.2020
Subjects
bioimaging
CuInS2 quantum dots
cytotoxicity
optical materials
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Summary:Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have become a unique class of materials with great potential for applications in biomedical and optoelectronic devices. However, conventional QDs contains toxic heavy metals such as Pb, Cd and Hg. Hence, it is imperative to find an alternative material with similar optical properties and low cytotoxicity. Among these materials, CuInS2 (CIS) QDs have attracted a lot of interest due to their direct band gap in the infrared region, large optical absorption coefficient and low toxic composition. These factors make them a good material for biomedical application. This review starts with the origin and photophysical characteristics of CIS QDs. This is followed by various synthetic strategies, including synthesis in organic and aqueous solvents, and the tuning of their optical properties. Lastly, their significance in various biological applications is presented with their prospects in clinical applications.
ISSN:2227-9040
2227-9040
DOI:10.3390/chemosensors8040101