Facile one-pot synthesis of bifunctional heterodimers of nanoparticles: a conjugate of quantum dot and magnetic nanoparticles.

Sequential addition of sulfur and Cd(acac)2 into the colloid solution of FePt nanoparticles ( approximately 2.5 nm) under a reductive environment generates heterodimers of CdS and FePt with sizes of approximately 7 nm. The heterodimers exhibit both superparamagnetism and fluorescence, indicating that the discrete properties of the individual parts of the dimers are preserved. This simple methodology may lead to the production of large quantities of various heterostructures with tailored properties on the nanoscale.