Quantum Dots (QDs)

A semiconducting nanocrystalline material with unique quantum optoelectronic properties and the ability to transport electrons. Quantum Dots (QDs) are artificial and ultra-sensitive nanostructures that can process different properties depending on their material, molecular composition, size, or shape (solid or hollow). By using UV light or locally enhanced electromagnetic fields, it is possible to observe the photoluminescent color change in the target in real-time or for high-resolution three-dimensional reconstructed imaging using adequate microscopes.

The unique size and composition of these nanostructures make them appealing for a variety of applications and new technologies such as Single Electron Transistors, optical applications like TV displays, solar cells, information storage, imaging, medicine, and even sensing. New generations of QDs have been used in the medical field to study intramolecular processes at a single-molecule level with high-resolution cellular imaging and long-term in vivo observation as fluorescent biological labels. It is also an emerging approach for cancer treatment as its quantum properties allow targeting a single organ much more precisely than conventional drugs.