In this work, a bottom-up strategy is developed to synthesize water-soluble molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS2 QDs) through a simple, one-step hydrothermal method using ammonium tetrathiomolybdate [(NH4)2MoS4] as the precursor and hydrazine hydrate as the reducing agent. The as-synthesized MoS2 QDs are few-layered with a narrow size distribution, and the average diameter is about 2.8 nm. The resultant QDs show excitation-dependent blue fluorescence due to the polydispersity of the QDs. Moreover, the fluorescence can be quenched by hyaluronic acid (HA)-functionalized gold nanoparticles through a photoinduced electron-transfer mechanism. Hyaluronidase (HAase), an endoglucosidase, can cleave HA into proangiogenic fragments and lead to the aggregation of gold nanoparticles. As a result, the electron transfer is blocked and fluorescence is recovered. On the basis of this principle, a novel fluorescence sensor for HAase is developed with a linear range from 1 to 50 U/mL and a detection limit of 0.7 U/mL.

A facile and eco-friendly approach for the synthesis of water-soluble WS2 quantum dots (QDs) was developed via ultrasonication and a hydrothermal process from bulk WS2. In this strategy, the dispersity of bulk WS2 in aqueous phase was improved with the aid of a surfactant (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB), which could shorten the exfoliation time and improve the exfoliation efficiency to form layered WS2 nanosheets. Through hydrothermal treatment, the nanosheets were further scissored into QDs with high quality. The QDs show excellent features with narrow size distribution, good water solubility, and stable fluorescence. We find that the fluorescence of WS2 QDs can be quenched by Fe3+ through photoinduced electron transfer, and a wide detection linear range for Fe3+ is acquired. It indicates that WS2 QD can be used as a “turn-off” probe for Fe3+. In the presence of lipoic acid (LA), the fluorescence was recovered due to the stronger interaction between LA and Fe3+ than WS2 QDs. A “turn-on” sensor for LA was developed with a linear range from 1 to 10 μM and a detection limit of 0.59 μM. The strategy might be suitable for the facile synthesis of other water-soluble transition metal dichalcogenide QDs. It is expected that the water-soluble QDs have great potential applications in biological system.

In this work, a novel ratiometric fluorescence sensor has been constructed for the selective and sensitive detection of Hg, which is based on the inner filter effect (IFE) of tetraphenylporphyrin tetrasulfonic acid (TPPS) toward black phosphorus quantum dots (BP QDs). Highly fluorescent BP QDs were successfully synthesized from bulk BP by sonication-assisted solvothermal method via a top-down route. In the presence of Hg, the IFE originating from spectral overlap between the excitation of BP QDs and the absorption of TPPS is inhibited and the fluorescence of BP QDs is restored. At the same time, the red fluorescence of TPPS is quenched due to its coordination with Mn. These phenomena result from the rapid coordination between Mn and TPPS in the presence of Hg, which leads to the dramatic decrease of the absorption of TPPS. On the basis of these findings, we design a ratiometric fluorescence sensor for the detection of Hg. The as-constructed sensor reveals a good linear response to Hg ranging from 1 to 60 nM with a detection limit of 0.39 nM. Furthermore, the sensing assay is applicable to detecting Hg in real samples.

MoS2 quantum dots with two-photon fluorescence features are synthesized through a one-step solvothermal approach and successfully used for cellular bioimaging.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play key roles in the development of tumor metastasis. It remains a significant challenge to capture and detect CTCs with high purity and sensitivity from blood samples. Herein, a nanoplatform is developed for the efficient isolation and ultrasensitive detection of CTCs by combining near-infrared (NIR) multivalent aptamer functionalized Ag 2 S nanodots with hybrid cell membrane-coated magnetic nanoparticles. Multivalent aptamer functionalized Ag 2 S nanodots are synthesized using a one-pot method under mild conditions (60 °C). White blood cell and tumor cell membranes are fused as the hybrid membrane and coated with magnetic nanoparticles, which are further modified with streptavidin (SA). Through the specific interaction of SA-biotin, the multivalent aptamer-Ag 2 S nanodots are grafted with hybrid cell membrane-magnetic nanoparticles. Due to the features of hybrid cell membrane modification, multivalent aptamer functionalization, magnetic separation, and NIR fluorescence measurements, the nanoplatform shows sensitive recognition, efficient capture, easy isolation, and sensitive detection of CTCs due to its great enhancement in anti-interference from background and improvement on binding ability toward CTCs. The capture efficiency and purity for CTCs is as high as 97.63% and 96.96%, respectively. Furthermore, the nanoplatform is successfully applied to the detection of CTCs in blood samples.

Quantum dots (QDs) with near‐infrared fluorescence (NIR) are an emerging class of QDs with unique capabilities owing to the deeper tissue penetrability of NIR light compared with visible light. NIR light also effectively overcomes organism autofluorescence, making NIR QDs particularly attractive in biological imaging applications for disease diagnosis. Considering latest developments, Ag2S QDs are a rising star among NIR QDs due to their excellent NIR fluorescence properties and biocompatibility. This review presents the various methods to synthesize NIR Ag2S QDs, and systematically discusses their applications in biosensing, bioimaging, and theranostics. Major challenges and future perspectives concerning the synthesis and bioapplications of NIR Ag2S QDs are discussed.

A luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) system was successfully developed using near-infrared (NIR) Ag 2 S nanodots (NDs) as the energy acceptors and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) as the energy donors. The system possessing the properties of NIR excitation (980 nm) and NIR emission (795 nm) was used for the ratiometric detection and bioimaging of pH in tumor cells and zebrafish. Glutathione and mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) co-modified Ag 2 S NDs (GM-Ag 2 S NDs) were prepared by ligand exchange with an excellent pH-responsive property over a pH range of 4.0 to 9.0. The NIR GM-Ag 2 S NDs were covalently grafted with silica coated UCNPs, and an efficient LRET platform was developed via modulation of the thickness of the silica coating. Due to the LRET process between UCNPs and GM-Ag 2 S NDs, a ratiometric luminescence nanoprobe with the properties of NIR excitation−NIR emission was constructed for pH biosensing and bioimaging. On the basis of high contrast bioimaging, the nanoplatform can distinguish between tumor and normal tissue in the zebrafish model.

The level of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) plays a critical role in tumor metastasis and personalized therapy, but it is challenging for highly efficient capture and detection of CTCs because of the extremely low concentration in peripheral blood. Herein, we report near-infrared fluorescent AgS nanodot-based signal amplification combing with immune-magnetic spheres (IMNs) for highly efficient magnetic capture and ultrasensitive fluorescence labeling of CTCs. The near-infrared fluorescent AgS nanoprobe has been successfully constructed through hybridization chain reactions using aptamer-modified AgS nanodots, which can extremely improve the imaging sensitivity and reduce background signal of blood samples. Moreover, the antiepithelial-cell-adhesion-molecule (EpCAM) antibody-labeled magnetic nanospheres have been used for highly capture rare tumor cells in whole blood. The near-infrared nanoprobe with signal amplification and IMNs platform exhibits excellent performance in efficient capture and detection of CTCs, which shows great potential in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.