Nanoparticles in biochemical sensing and labelling

Interaction of biomolecules with the surface of metallic nanoparticles may also result in local changes in refraction index. This in turn may result in delicate modification of plasmon resonance frequency and yield detectable analytical signal [138], 

Semiconductor nanoparticles are powerful fluorescent probes, which can be used for labelling biomolecules. Quantum dots have several advantages over 

More sophisticated designs of nanoparticle-based sensors include various photoprocesses such as electronic energy transfer and PET. 

Although aggregation of metallic nanoparticles perturbs their electronic structure and especially the plasmon resonance frequency, the semiconductor quantum dots are much more resistant to such effects. 

In conclusion, semiconductor quantum dots play the role of mechanical supports, photonic antennae, and fluorophores. Such versatility results from unique properties of semiconductor nanoparticles. 

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