Synthesis and characterization of water-soluble ZnO quantum dots prepared through PEG-siloxane coating

A new method for the synthesis of biocompatible and Multifunctional semiconductor ZnO quantum dots (QDs) through reaction of oleate-capped ZnO QDs with a poly(ethylene glycol)-siloxane is reported. The size, shape. crystal Structure and the optical properties of water-soluble ZnO QDs were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and by their absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The results showed that well-dispersed ZnO QDs with ca. 6.0 nm in diameter were obtained after surface modification. Fluorescence spectra indicated that the QDs exhibited good fluorescence features after coating.