Surface modification of CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots with mercapto acid

The surface ligands of the quantum dots (QDs) play an important role in the performance of quantum dots based optoelectronic devices. However, the native surface ligands of long-chain non-polar aliphatic compounds are hydrophobic, which limits the application of QDs for further device fabrication. Here, we reported a simple and fast method for cap exchange of CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots using thiol functional ligands. We can successfully transfer QDs from non-polar to polar solvents by utilizing this facile method without significant fluorescence quenching.