The purpose of this study was to compare the biological impact of core and core/shell quantum dots(QDs) on Danio rerio. QDs are semiconductor nanocrystals with the unique optical characteristics of broad absorbance peaks, narrow and size-dependent emission peaks, high emission quantum yield, and high chemical and photo-stability. These properties enable their application in areas such as visual technology, biotechnology and medicine. Because of their wide spread use, their potential toxic impact on the environment has become a topic of importance. The most widely used QDs contain cadmium selenide cores with a zinc sulfide shell(CdSe/ZnS). The addition of the zinc sulfide(ZnS) shell around the core not only maximizes the QD’s fluorescent characteristics, but is also presumed to minimize the QD’s overall toxicity. To investigate the effect of the ZnS shell on the QD’s toxicity, we exposed D. rerio to CdSe/ZnS QDs, zinc selenide core/zinc sulfide shell QDs(ZnSe/ZnS), and CdSe and ZnSe core QDs. We then measured the viability of the cells 24 hours-post-fertilization. Preliminary results indicated that D. rerio exposed to CdSe/ZnS QDs had lower viability than those exposed to CdSe core QDs, meaning that CdSe/ZnS QDs had a greater biological impact on zebrafish embryo development than the core-only QDs.

Effect of quantum dot structure on the viability of Danio rerio

254th National Meeting (2017)

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