Issue 31, 2009
From the journal:

Journal of Materials Chemistry

Amphibious polymer-functionalized CdTe quantum dots: Synthesis, thermo-responsive self-assembly, and photoluminescent properties†

Li Zhou,ab   Chao Gao*a  and  Weijian Xu*b  

* Corresponding authors

a Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization (Ministry of Education), Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P. R. China
E-mail: chaogao@zju.edu.cn
Fax: +86 571 87951308
Tel: +86 571 87951083

b Institute of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, P. R. China
E-mail: weijxu@hnu.cn
Fax: +86 731 8821749
Tel: + 86 731 8821549

Abstract

A straightforward strategy is presented to functionalize aqueous-phase synthesized CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with thermo-sensitive poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) via direct surface-initiated oxyanionic vinyl polymerization. The polymer grafting quantity can be facilely controlled in a wide range up to 95.2wt% by adjusting the weight feed ratio of monomer to pristine QDs. The polymer-grafted QDs still retain good fluorescence properties in solution, solid polymer matrix, and on surfaces of silica (SiO2) sphere. The resulting QD@PDMAEMAs show excellent solubility both in water and organic solvents (e.g., chloroform, dichloromethane, dioxane, ethyl acetate, acetone, methanol, and N, N-dimethylformamide). We have called them amphibious QDs. The thermo-sensitive PDMAEMAs make QDs accessible to self-assemble reversibly by adjusting temperature when the grafted polymer content is over a certain value. The self-assembly process and resulting structure were demonstrated by TEM, variable temperature dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV-vis spectrometer. Because PDMAEMA is a kind of positive polyelectrolyte, QD@PDMAEMAs were used as building blocks in the layer-by-layer self-assembly process on the surface of SiO2 spheres, affording fluorescent SiO2 spheres.

Graphical abstract: Amphibious polymer-functionalized CdTe quantum dots: Synthesis, thermo-responsive self-assembly, and photoluminescent properties

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B905966K
Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Mar 2009
Accepted
12 May 2009
First published
19 Jun 2009

J. Mater. Chem., 2009,19, 5655-5664

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Amphibious polymer-functionalized CdTe quantum dots: Synthesis, thermo-responsive self-assembly, and photoluminescent properties

L. Zhou, C. Gao and W. Xu, J. Mater. Chem., 2009, 19, 5655 DOI: 10.1039/B905966K

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