One-Pot Aqueous Synthesis of Highly Biocompatible Near Infrared CuInS2 Quantum Dots for Target Cell Imaging

In this study, we report a novel and facile autoclave strategy for synthesis of near‐infrared (NIR) CuInS2 QDs by employing glutathione (GSH) as capping ligand and stabilizer in aqueous media under 100°C. Various experimental parameters including the ratio of precursors, reaction time, reaction temperature, pH effect and stability have been systematically studied. The QDs were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR). The as‐synthesized NIR QDs exhibited low cytotoxicity and maintained excellent cell viability even up to 100 µg/mL. After bioconjugation with Arg‐Gly‐Asp (RGD) peptide, the obtained CuInS2‐RGD QDs have demonstrated high targeting ability with good fluorescence cell imaging performance. A facile one‐pot method was developed for preparing hydrophilic NIR CuInS2 QDs, which were further bioconjugated with RGD for target cell imaging.