Dopamine-functionalized InP/ZnS quantum dots as fluorescence probes for the detection of adenosine in microfluidic chip

Abstract

Seshadri Reddy Ankireddy, Jongsung Kim Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea Abstract: Microbeads are frequently used as solid supports for biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids in heterogeneous microfluidic assays. Chip-based, quantum dot (QD)-bead-biomolecule probes have been used for the detection of various types of DNA. In this study, we developed dopamine (DA)-functionalized InP/ZnS QDs (QDs-DA) as fluorescence probes for the detection of adenosine in microfluidic chips. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the QDs-DA is quenched by Zn2+ because of the strong coordination interactions. In the presence of adenosine, Zn2+ cations preferentially bind to adenosine, and the PL intensity of the QDs-DA is recovered. A polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidic chip was fabricated, and adenosine detection was confirmed using QDs-DA probes. Keywords: quantum dots, photoluminescence, microfluidic chip, adenosine, mercaptopropionic acid, mercaptoundecanoic acid, PDMS