Organosilane micellization for direct encapsulation of hydrophobic quantum dots into silica beads with highly preserved fluorescence

Effective silica coating on hydrophobic quantum dots (QDs) was achieved by ultrasonic fragmentation of lipophilic silane–QDs precusor into water-soluble micelles and subsequent silicate deposition. This method allowed high retention of QD fluorescent properties and an easy scaling over the size and loading amount of silica beads.