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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Apr 7.
Published in final edited form as: Nano Res. 2009 Jun 1;2(6):500–508. doi: 10.1007/s12274-009-9046-3

Figure 1. Schematic diagrams of (a) acid-etchable and (b) proton-resistant quantum dots.

Figure 1

Acid etching leads to surface defects and fluorescence quenching, as observed for QDs coated with amphiphilic polymers or lipids. The use of cationic “proton-resistant” surface coatings prevents free protons from reaching the nanocrystal surface, thus protecting QDs from acid-induced etching.