Synthesis and characterization of fluorescent magnetic Fe3O4/CdTe@SiO2-NH-FA nanoprobe

In this study, fluorescent magnetic Fe3O4/CdTe@SiO2-NH-FA (FCSN-FA) nanoprobe was synthesized by a simple method. First, Fe3O4 nanoparticles and TGA-stabilized CdTe QDs formed Fe3O4/CdTe core, and the Fe3O4/CdTe core was coated with amorphous silica. Amino groups (-NH2) of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was modified on the surface of the amorphous silica, forming Fe3O4/CdTe@SiO2-NH2 (FCSN) nanocomposite. The carboxyl group (-COOH) of folic acid (FA) can covalently conjugate with the -NH2 to form Fe3O4/CdTe@SiO2 NH-FA nanopmbe. The results show that the FCSN-FA nanoprobes have a uniform size, excellent fluorescent and superparamagnetic properties, indicating that the FCSN-FA nanoprobes have potential biomedical applications.