Simon Fraser University

Purpose

Quantum dots (QDs) are tiny semiconductor particles with remarkable optical properties, holding enormous promise for applications in medicine, diagnostics, and sensing technologies. However, a major barrier to their widespread use is the difficulty of producing them reliably and at scale — current methods suffer from batch-to-batch inconsistency, degradation over time, and the release of toxic heavy metal by-products. The Project addresses these challenges by shifting from traditional single-batch production to a continuous flow reactor system, enabling the scalable, reproducible manufacture of stable QDs. A key innovation is the development of novel encapsulating layers that protect the particles, lock in toxic components, and provide a versatile platform for attaching targeting or sensing molecules. The Project outcome will be safer, more reliable quantum dots that can be precisely engineered for applications ranging from early disease detection to environmental sensing — bringing transformative QD-enabled technologies meaningfully closer to real-world use.