Designer polymer-quantum dot architectures

Quantum dots (QDs) are nanocrystals made of semiconductors, which exhibit intriguing electronic transitions that resemble single atom behavior. Due to their unique, size-tunable optical and electronic properties, QDs are increasingly applied in biology, bioanalytics and optoelectronics. Many of these applications require a combination of the QDs with polymers. The development of methods to obtain well-defined polymer–QD hybrid materials with tunable optical properties is an active field of research. In this review we first describe progress in the synthesis and fabrication of polymer–QD hybrid materials of various architectures. In particular, embedding methods of semiconductor nanocrystals into bulk polymers, polymer thin films, micro- and nanospheres are presented. Direct surface modification of the nanocrystals with polymers using a number of strategies ranging from multivalent surface passivation to functionalized chain-end attachment, as well as layer-by-layer assembly are also reviewed. Finally, we provide examples for applications of QD/polymer materials in the fields of biodiagnostics, bioanalytics, photonics and optoelectronics.