If your quantum dots possess some accessible carboxyl groups on the surface, any standard protocol might work. Therefore, the question is not the EDC/NHS protocol, but the structure, size, surface, chemistry of your carbon quantum dots. Depending on your particle surface, simple adsorption of antibodies might work perfectly, too.

If your nanoparticles have COOH groups, then you can use EDC/NHS method. You can find the procedure from many published articles.

If your synthesized nanoparticles have carboxyl groups (-COOH) you can use EDC/NHS for activating the surface carboxylic groups.

To produce the covalently bonded antibody-carbon quantum dots conjugates, the carboxyl group on the surface of the carbon quantum dots was reacted with the antibody in the presence of EDC and NHS (Witt et al., 2015). Generally, 1-ethyl-3-(3- dimethylamino propyl)-carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide sodium salt (NHS) were added to the carbon quantum dots solution to activate the surface carboxylic groups. The carboxyl groups (-COOH) on carbon quantum dots are facile to react with amino groups (-NH2) on biomolecules (such as antibody) to form carbodiimide bonds in the presence of EDC and NHS.

There are many published articles in this field.

Witt, M., Walter, J.G., Stahl, F., 2015. Microarrays 4, 115–132.