One‐Pot Aqueous Synthesis of Highly Biocompatible Near Infrared CuInS₂ Quantum Dots for Target Cell Imaging

In this study, we report a novel and facile autoclave strategy for synthesis of near‐infrared (NIR) CuInS 2 QDs by employing glutathione (GSH) as capping ligand and stabilizer in aqueous media under 100°C. Various experimental parameters including the ratio of precursors, reaction time, reaction temperature, pH effect and stability have been systematically studied. The QDs were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR). The as‐synthesized NIR QDs exhibited low cytotoxicity and maintained excellent cell viability even up to 100 µg/mL. After bioconjugation with Arg‐Gly‐Asp (RGD) peptide, the obtained CuInS 2 ‐RGD QDs have demonstrated high targeting ability with good fluorescence cell imaging performance.