DNA functionalization of colloidal II–VI semiconductor nanowires for multiplex nanoheterostructures

Abstract

Building controlled and tunable multiplex nanoheterostructures (NHSs) is critical for renewable energy and biosensor applications. In this paper, we demonstrate a facile and highly efficient method to functionalize one-dimensional (1D) colloidal II–VI semiconductor nanowires with a high coverage of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) for the construction of multicomponent, multidimensional NHSs. Our strategy relies on the Watson–Crick base-pairing between complementary ssDNA displayed from the surface of one-dimensional semiconductor ZnTe/ZnS core/shell nanowires and zero-dimensional (0D) plasmonic Au nanoparticles or fluorescent CdTe/CdS core/shell quantum dots. This strategy may lead to solution-processed construction of versatile multiplex heterostructures.