Patent ID: 8377714

Claim:
A conjugate comprising: a nanoparticle attached to a linker group having a terminal reactive moiety; wherein said conjugate is of formula II: Q-A 2 (R 1 —B) m II wherein Q is a nanoparticle; R 1 is a saturated or unsaturated C 1-50 hydrocarbon chain, optionally interrupted by one or more of —O—, —S—, —NH—, or —NR x — groups, where R x is a saturated or unsaturated C 1-20 alkyl chain, optionally containing O, S, NH or NR; B is —NCS; and m is 1; and A 2 is —O—, —S—, —C(═O)—, —O—C(═O)—, —C(═O)—O—, —NH—, —NR—, —P(═O)—, —P(═S)—, —P(═O)(R 2 )—, —P—(═S)(R 2 )—, —P(R 2 ) 2 — or —P(R 2 ) 3 —, where each R 2 is independently selected from OH, OR or R; or m is 2 and A 2 is N, P═O, P═S, P(R 2 ) or P(R 2 ) 2 ; or m is 3 and A 2 is —O═P, —S═P, —P, —P(R 2 ); where R is a C 1-20 alkyl chain, optionally containing O, S, NH or NR and/or optionally containing one or more double or triple bonds; and wherein said nanoparticle comprises a core of a first semiconductor material having a first luminescence and a shell of a second material which at least partially surrounds the core.