Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) complemented with Taylor Dispersion Analysis-CE (TDA-CE) was developed to physicochemically characterize phthalocyanine-capped core/shell/shell quantum dots (QDs) at various pH and ionic strengths. An LED-induced fluorescence detector was used to specifically detect the QDs. The electropherograms and taylorgrams allowed calculating the phthalocyanine-QDs (Pc-QDs) ζ-potential and size, respectively, and determining the experimental conditions for colloidal stability. This methodology allowed evidencing either a colloidal stability or an aggregation state according to the background electrolytes nature. The calculated ζ-potential values of Pc-QDs decreased when ionic strength increased, being well correlated with the aggregation of the nanoconjugates at elevated salt concentrations. For the same reason, the hydrodynamic diameter of Pc-QDs increased with increasing background electrolyte ionic strength. The use of electrokinetic methodologies has provided insights into the colloidal stability of the photosensitizer-functionalized QDs in physiologically relevant solutions and, thereby, its usefulness for improving their design and applications for photodynamic therapy.
Keywords: Capillary electrophoresis; Colloidal stability; Photodynamic therapy; Photosensitizers; Phthalocyanines; Quantum dots.