Gold Quantum Dots: Fluorescing "Artificial Atoms" Could Have Applications in Biological Labeling, Nanoscale Optoelectron

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Diagram shows arrangement of gold atoms in an eight-atom quantum dot (left) while fluorescence is shown from a solution containi
A new class of water-soluble quantum dots made from small numbers of gold atoms could be the basis for a new biological labeling system with narrower excitation spectra, smaller particle size and fluorescence comparable to systems based on semiconductor quantum dots.

Providing the "missing link" between atomic and nanoparticle behavior in noble metals, these multi-electron "artificial atoms" could also serve as light-emitting sources in nanoscale optoelectronics and in energy transfer pairs.


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