Hybrid quantum dot/protein nanostructure, methods of making, and methods of use thereof
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the present disclosure include hybrid quantum dot/protein nanostructure, hybrid quantum dot/protein nanostructure systems, methods of using hybrid quantum dot/protein nanostructures, and the like.
1. A method of making a hybrid quantum dot/protein nanostructure, comprising:
introducing a first precursor compound to a bioluminescence protein in a solution, wherein the precursor compound includes a first atom, wherein the bioluminescence protein bonds to a plurality of first atoms to form first atom-bioluminescence protein complexes; and
introducing a second precursor compound to the solution including the first atom-bioluminescence protein complexes to form the hybrid quantum dot/protein nanostructure, wherein the second precursor compound includes a second atom, wherein the first atom and the second atom interact to form a quantum dot core, wherein the quantum dot core has a plurality of bioluminescence proteins each bonded to a plurality of first atoms.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the introduction of the first precursor compound and the introduction of the second precursor compound are conducted in the same reaction vessel.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the introduction of the first precursor compound into the solution and the introduction of the second precursor compound into the solution are conducted without separating the first atom-bioluminescence protein complexes from the solution prior to introducing the second precursor compound into the solution.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first atom is selected from the group consisting of: Pb and Cd.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second atom is selected from the group consisting of: S and Se.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first atom is Pb and the second atom is S.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bioluminescence donor molecule is a Luciferase protein.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bioluminescence donor molecule is selected from a Renilla Luciferase protein, a mutated Renilla Luciferase protein, and a combination thereof.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bioluminescence donor molecule is a mutated Renilla Luciferase protein SEQ ID NO: 2.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core quantum dot is selected from the group consisting of: PbS, CdS, and CdSe.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the core of the quantum dot is selected from: a IIB-VIA semiconductor, a IIIA-VA semiconductor, and a IVA-VIA semiconductor.