Aqueous one-pot synthesis of bright and ultrasmall CdTe/CdS near-infrared-emitting quantum dots and their application for tumor targeting in vivo.

CdTe/CdS core(small)/shell(thick) quantum dots (QDs) with tunable near-infrared fluorescence were directly synthesized in aqueous phase through a facile one-step strategy. The QDs possessed bright fluorescence, ultrasmall size, excellent photostability and good biocompatibility. Their applicability for biological imaging was demonstrated with the in vivo active tumor targeting of nude mice.