Optical properties of water soluble CdSe quantum dots modified by a novel biopolymer based on sodium alginate.

Water soluble CdSe quantum dots (QDs) were modified using a novel biopolymer based on the graft copolymerization of poly (acrylic acid) as a monomer onto sodium alginate as a backbone at room temperature. The obtained CdSe QDs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, thermo-gravimetry analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering. Optical properties of the prepared CdSe QDs were investigated by absorption and fluorescence spectra. It was found that the resultant QDs incredibly exhibited high fluorescence intensity and quantum yields. Lastly, the influence of the aging time on the fluorescence intensity of the modified CdSe QDs was studied by their fluorescence spectra. Due to the optical behavior of this modified QDs; it could be of potential interest in biological systems.