Highly flourescent water-soluble CdTe quantum dots: coating by a natural biopolymer based on kappa-carrageenan in water

A facile procedure for the coating of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) by a natural biopolymer based on polyacrylamide (PAAm) grafted onto kappa-carrageenan (κC-g-PAAm) is introduced. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed that the QDs are nearly spherical in shape with average diameter of ~2.4 nm. The optical property of QDs was studied by the UV-visible spectrum. The biomolecules were used to investigate their influence on the fluorescence intensity of nanocrystals. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study suggested QDs can interact with functional groups of biopolymer including its hydroxy and amide groups.