Short Ligands Affect Modes of QD Uptake and Elimination in Human Cells

In order to better understand nanoparticle uptake and elimination mechanisms, we designed a controlled set of small, highly fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) with nearly identical hydrodynamic size (8–10 nm) but with varied short ligand surface functionalization. The properties of functionalized QDs and their modes of uptake and elimination were investigated systematically by asymmetrical flow field–flow fractionation (AF4), confocal fluorescence...