Preparations of bifunctional polymeric beads simultaneously incorporated with fluorescent quantum dots and magnetic nanocrystals

Bifunctional polystyrene beads simultaneously incorporated with fluorescent CdTe quantum dots (Q-dots) and superparamagnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanocrystals were prepared by a modified mini-emulsion polymerization method, in which polymerizable surfactants were used as both phase transfer agent for aqueous colloidal nanoparticles and emulsifier. In addition, silica coating was also introduced to Fe(3)O(4) nanocrystals for regulating the internal structure of the composite beads. Transmission electron microscopy, confocal fluorescence microscopy and conventional spectroscopy were used to characterize the composite beads, as well as the polymerizable surfactant-coated CdTe Q-dots and silica-coated Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles. Different mixing methods were also attempted in order to vary the size of the resultant bifunctional beads.