Quantum dot-labelled polymer beads by suspension polymerisation

CdSe quantum dots with polymerisable ligands have been incorporated into polystyrene beads, via a suspension polymerisation reaction, as a first step towards the optical encoding of solid supports for application in solid phase organic chemistry

Synthesis and characterization of CdS quantum dots in polystyrene microbeads

Polystyrene microbeads doped with highly luminescent CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been prepared. Polystyrene particles with diameters ranging from 100 nm to 500 mm were prepared by a suspension polymerization method and with different loadings of QDs. The resulting organic-inorganic microspheres have been characterized by FTIR, elemental analysis and SEM. Confocal microscopy and photoluminescence studies proved that the CdS nanoparticles were evenly distributed throughout the polystyrene spheres. The QDcontaining composites have similar optical properties to isolated CdS QDs. The thermal decomposition of the hybrid materials occurred at higher temperature than for the parent organic materials