US Patent 8080405 - Core/shell nanocrystal probes

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8080405.html

This patent from the Regents of the University of California has priority going back to 1997 and includes some basic claims for core/shell semiconductor nanocrystals. Claim 1 reads:

1. A semiconductor nanocrystal composition, comprising:

a) a core comprising a first semiconductor material;

b) a core-overcoating shell comprising a second semiconductor material, wherein the core and the core-overcoating shell form a core/shell nanocrystal; and

c) an encapsulating net surrounding the core/shell nanocrystal.