Mind your P's and Q's: the coming of age of semiconducting polymer dots and semiconductor quantum dots in biological applications

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and semiconducting polymer nanoparticles (Pdots) are brightly emissive materials that offer many advantages for bioanalysis and bioimaging, and are complementary to revolutionary advances in fluorescence technology. Within the context of biological applications, this review compares the evolution and different stages of development of these two types of nanoparticle, and addresses current perceptions about QDs. Although neither material is a wholesale replacement for fluorescent dyes, recent trends have demonstrated that both types of nanoparticle can excel in applications that are often too demanding for fluorescent dyes alone. Examples discussed in this review include single particle tracking and imaging, multicolor imaging and multiplexed detection, biosensing, point-of-care diagnostics, in vivo imaging and drug delivery.