DNA functionalization of colloidal II-VI semiconductor nanowires for multiplex nanoheterostructures

Building controlled and tunable multiplex nanoheterostructures (NHSs) is critical for renewable energy and biosensor applications. In this paper, we demonstrate a facile and highly efficient method to functionalize one-dimensional (1D) colloidal II-VI semiconductor nanowires with a high coverage of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) for the construction of multicomponent, multidimensional NHSs. Our strategy relies on the Watson-Crick base-pairing between complementary ssDNA displayed from the surface of one-dimensional semiconductor ZnTe/ZnS core/shell nanowires and zero-dimensional (0D) plasmonic Au nanoparticles or fluorescent CdTe/CdS core/shell quantum dots. This strategy may lead to solution-processed construction of versatile multiplex heterostructures.