Quantum dots: Small 4/2010

The frontispiece shows molecular models of semiconductor quantum dots functionalized with surface solubilizing ligands, a <20 residue peptide, myoglobin, mCherry, and a maltose binding protein that together cover a range of masses from <2.2 to ≈44 kDa. The corresponding study reports on determining the number of proteins or peptides that can be attached to semiconductor quantum-dot nanocrystals. This problem has intrigued materials scientists for years and is an important component of designing such bioconjugates. For more information, please read the Full Paper “Polyvalent Display and Packing of Peptides and Proteins on Semiconductor Quantum Dots: Predicted Versus Experimental Results” by I. L. Medintz et al., beginning on page 555.