Cadmium selenium Quantum Dots (QDs) are metal nanoparticles that fluoresce in a variety of colors determined by their size. QDs are solid state structures made of semiconductors or metals that confine a countable, small number of electrons into a small space. The confinement of electrons is achieved by the placement of some insulating material(s) around a central, well conducted region. Coupling QDs with antibodies can be used to make spectrally multiplexed immunoassays that test for a number of microbial contaminants using a single test.

jsc2024e016254 (7/30/2021) --- A capstone student assembles the microscope and fluid breadboard for the Nano Particle Haloing Suspension payload. This payload tests controlled assembly of nanoparticles in a solution of zirconia and titanium-dioxide coated silica. Effective demonstration could lead to applications in an enhanced solar cell generation technology known as quantum-dot solar synthesis. Image courtesy of the University of Louisville.

jsc2024e016253 (1/8/2024) --- The Nano Particle Haloing Suspension payload undergoes a fitting test at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in the Microgravity Science Glovebox replica. This payload tests controlled assembly of nanoparticles in a solution of zirconia and titanium-dioxide coated silica. Effective demonstration could lead to applications in an enhanced solar cell generation technology known as quantum-dot solar synthesis. Image courtesy of the University of Louisville.

jsc2024e016255 (2/6/2024) --- Justin Murphy is an undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student (graduated May 2023) who has worked on the “Nano Halo” project and gave a poster presentation of his payload at ASGSR 2022 in Houston, Texas. The Nano Particle Haloing Suspension project tests controlled assembly of nanoparticles that could have applications in an enhanced solar cell generation technology known as quantum-dot solar synthesis. Image courtesy of the University of Louisville.