Production of Elemental Tellurium Quantum Dots

The use of aerobic microbes to catalyze the green synthesis of tellurium (Te) containing nanostructures under ambient conditions is available for licensing opportunities. Experiments indicate high recoveries of added Te as crystalline nanometer scale spheres orcables depending on the strain employed. These same strains are expected catalyze the synthesis of Te containing quantum dot materials(i.e. CdTe) with similar ease. Elemental Te and Te containing nanomaterials have applications in photovoltaic cells as band-gap semiconductors and biomedical imaging as fluorescent labels.The level and method of production is scalable to demand using standard fermentation techniques. Applications: 1) Chemical industry: producers of raw materials for photo-voltaics and quantum dots 2) Biotechnology industry: green chemical synthesis specialities