Controlling charge separation and recombination rates in CdSe/ZnS type I core-shell quantum dots by shell thicknesses

Type I core/shell quantum dots (QDs) have been shown to improve the stability and conversion efficiency of QD-sensitized solar cells compared to core only QDs. To understand how the shell thickness affects the solar cell performance, its effects on interfacial charge separation and recombination kinetics are investigated. These kinetics are measured in CdSe/ZnS type I core/shell QDs adsorbed with anthroquinone molecules (as electron acceptor) by time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. We show that the charge separation and recombination rates decrease exponentially with the shell thickness (d), k(d) = k(0)e(-βd), with exponential decay factors β of 0.35 ± 0.03 per ? and 0.91 ± 0.14 per ?, respectively. Model calculations show that these trends can be attributed to the exponential decrease of the 1S electron and hole densities at the QD surface with the shell thickness. The much steeper decrease in charge recombination rate results from a larger hole effective mass (than electron) in the ZnS shell. This finding suggests possible ways of optimizing the charge separation yield and lifetime by controlling the thickness and nature of the shell materials.     

Enhanced multiple exciton dissociation from CdSe quantum rods: the effect of nanocrystal shape

A unique ability of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) is the generation and accommodation of multiple excitons through either optical or electric current pumping. The development and improvement of NC-based optoelectronic devices that utilize multiple excitons requires the understanding of multiple exciton dynamics and their efficient conversion to emitted photons or external charges prior to exciton-exciton annihilation. Here, we demonstrate that significantly enhanced multiexciton dissociation efficiency can be achieved in CdSe quantum rods (QRs) compared to CdSe quantum dots (QDs). Using transient absorption spectroscopy, we reveal the formation of bound one-dimensional exciton states in CdSe QRs and that multiple exciton Auger recombination occurs primarily via exciton-exciton collision. Furthermore, quantum confinement in the QR radial direction facilitates ultrafast exciton dissociation by interfacial electron transfer to adsorbed acceptors. Under high excitation intensity, more than 21 electrons can be transferred from one CdSe QR to adsorbed methylviologen molecules, greatly exceeding the multiexciton dissociation efficiency of CdSe QDs.     

Wave function engineering for ultrafast charge separation and slow charge recombination in type II core/shell quantum dots

The size dependence of optical and electronic properties of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have been extensively studied in various applications ranging from solar energy conversion to biological imaging. Core/shell QDs allow further tuning of these properties by controlling the spatial distributions of the conduction-band electron and valence-band hole wave functions through the choice of the core/shell materials and their size/thickness. It is possible to engineer type II core/shell QDs, such as CdTe/CdSe, in which the lowest energy conduction-band electron is largely localized in the shell while the lowest energy valence-band hole is localized in the core. This spatial distribution enables ultrafast electron transfer to the surface-adsorbed electron acceptors due to enhanced electron density on the shell materials, while simultaneously retarding the charge recombination process because the shell acts as a tunneling barrier for the core localized hole. Using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, we show that in CdTe/CdSe-anthraquinone (AQ) complexes, after the initial ultrafast (~770 fs) intra-QD electron transfer from the CdTe core to the CdSe shell, the shell-localized electron is transferred to the adsorbed AQ with a half-life of 2.7 ps. The subsequent charge recombination from the reduced acceptor, AQ(-), to the hole in the CdTe core has a half-life of 92 ns. Compared to CdSe-AQ complexes, the type II band alignment in CdTe/CdSe QDs maintains similar ultrafast charge separation while retarding the charge recombination by 100-fold. This unique ultrafast charge separation and slow recombination property, coupled with longer single and multiple exciton lifetimes in type II QDs, suggests that they are ideal light-harvesting materials for solar energy conversion.     

False multiple exciton recombination and multiple exciton generation signals in semiconductor quantum dots arise from surface charge trapping

Multiple exciton recombination (MER) and multiple exciton generation (MEG) are two of the main processes for assessing the usefulness of quantum dots (QDs) in photovoltaic devices. Recent experiments, however, have shown that a firm understanding of both processes is far from well established. By performing surface-dependent measurements on colloidal CdSe QDs, we find that surface-induced charge trapping processes lead to false MER and MEG signals resulting in an inaccurate measurement of these processes. Our results show that surface-induced processes create a significant contribution to the observed discrepancies in both MER and MEG experiments. Spectral signatures in the transient absorption signals reveal the physical origin of these false signals.     

Single and multi-exciton dynamics in aqueous protochlorophyllide aggregates

In plants, the oxidoreductase enzyme POR reduces protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) into chlorophyllide (Chlide), using NADPH as a cofactor. The reduction involves the transfer of two electrons and two protons to the C17═C18 double bond of Pchlide, and the reaction is initiated by the absorption of light by Pchlide itself. In this work we have studied the excited state dynamics of Pchlide dissolved in water, where it forms excitonically coupled aggregates, by ultrafast time-resolved transient absorption and fluorescence experiments performed in the 480-720 nm visible region and in the 1780-1590 cm(-1) mid-IR region. The ground state visible absorption spectrum of aqueous Pchlide red shifts and broadens in comparison to the spectrum of monomeric Pchlide in organic solvents. The population of the one-exciton state occurs at low excitation densities, of <1 photon per aggregate. We characterized the multiexciton manifolds spectra by measuring the absorption difference spectra at increasingly higher photon densities. The multiexciton states are characterized by blue-shifted stimulated emission and red-shifted excited state absorption in comparison to those of the one-exciton manifold. The relaxation dynamics of the multiexciton manifolds into the one-exciton manifold is found to occur in ～10 ps. This surprisingly slow rate we suggest is due to the intrinsic charge transfer character of the PChlide excited state that leads to solvation, stabilizing the CT state, and subsequent charge recombination, which limits the exciton relaxation.     

Controlling the rate of electron transfer between a quantum dot and a tri-ruthenium molecular cluster by tuning the chemistry of the interface

Ultrafast transient absorption measurements reveal that the rate of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from colloidal CdSe quantum dots (QDs) to oxo-centered triruthenium clusters (Ru(3)O) depends on the structure of the chemical headgroup by which the Ru(3)O clusters adsorb to the QDs. Complexes comprising QDs and Ru(3)O clusters adsorbed through a pyridine-4-carboxylic acid ligand (nic-Ru(3)O) have an intrinsic PET rate constant of (4.9 ± 0.9) × 10(9) s(-1) whereas complexes comprising QDs and Ru(3)O clusters adsorbed through a 4-mercaptopyridine ligand (thiol-Ru(3)O) have an intrinsic PET rate constant of (36 ± 7) × 10(9) s(-1). Cyclic voltammetry measurements of nic-Ru(3)O and thiol-Ru(3)O yield reduction potentials vs. Ag/AgCl of -0.93 V for both clusters, and density functional theory calculations of the nic-Ru(3)O and thiol-Ru(3)O clusters yield internal reorganization energies for the cluster radical anion of -0.17 eV and -0.19 eV, respectively. The small differences in driving force and reorganization energy between the two complexes rule out these parameters as possible explanations for the factor-of-seven difference in the rate constants for PET. The difference in the observed rates of PET for the two complexes is therefore attributable to a difference in donor-acceptor electronic coupling, which, according to electronic structure calculations, is modulated by the torsional angle between the Ru(3)O core of the cluster and the functionalized pyridine ligand that bridges the cluster to the QD surface.     

Modeling of multi-exciton transient absorption spectra of protochlorophyllide aggregates in aqueous solution

Protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) is a natural porphyrin, a precursor of chlorophyll, synthesized by plants for its photosynthetic apparatus. The pigment spontaneously forms aggregates when dissolved in neat water solution. We present here calculations of the transient absorption spectra and its comprising components (ground-state bleach, stimulated emission, and excited-state absorption) for a strongly excitonically coupled linear chain of four Pchlide chromophores, using exciton theory with phenomenological Gaussian line shapes and without energetic disorder. A refined multiexciton model that includes static disorder is applied to fit the experimental power-dependent transient absorption spectra of aqueous protochlorophyllide and the kinetics for delay times up to 20 ps after photoexcitation. We show that population up to the 4-exciton manifold is sufficient to explain the pronounced saturation of the bleaching and the shape changes in the instantaneous, t = 0.2 ps transient spectra when the pulse energy is increased from 10 to 430 nJ per pulse. The decay of the multiexciton manifold is relatively slow and is preceded by a spectroscopically distinct process. We suggest that the exciton states in the Pchlide aggregates are mixed with charge-transfer states (CTS) and that the population and repopulation of the CTS coupled to the exciton states explains the relatively slow decay of the multiexciton manifold. The relevance of our results to the optical properties and dynamics of natural photosynthetic complexes and the possible physical origin of CTS formation are discussed.     

Quantum dot solar cells. harvesting light energy with CdSe nanocrystals molecularly linked to mesoscopic TiO2 films

By using bifunctional surface modifiers (SH-R-COOH), CdSe quantum dots (QDs) have been assembled onto mesoscopic TiO(2) films. Upon visible light excitation, CdSe QDs inject electrons into TiO(2) nanocrystallites. Femtosecond transient absorption as well as emission quenching experiments confirm the injection from the excited state of CdSe QDs into TiO(2) nanoparticles. Electron transfer from the thermally relaxed s-state occurs over a wide range of rate constant values between 7.3 x 10(9) and 1.95 x 10(11) s(-1). The injected charge carriers in a CdSe-modified TiO(2) film can be collected at a conducting electrode to generate a photocurrent. The TiO(2)-CdSe composite, when employed as a photoanode in a photoelectrochemical cell, exhibits a photon-to-charge carrier generation efficiency of 12%. Significant loss of electrons occurs due to scattering as well as charge recombination at TiO(2)/CdSe interfaces and internal TiO(2) grain boundaries.     

Simultaneous generation of different types of ion pairs upon charge-transfer excitation of a donor-acceptor complex revealed by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy

The excited-state dynamics of the methylperylene/tetracyanoethylene (MPe/TCNE) donor-acceptor complex has been investigated in various solvents using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The transient spectra reveal the formation of two types of ion pairs: The first (IP1), constituting the major fraction of the total ion-pair population, is characterized by a broad and red-shifted absorption spectrum compared to that of the free MPe cation and by a subpicosecond lifetime, whereas the second (IP2) has a spectrum closer to that of MPe cation and a lifetime of a few picoseconds. A substantial polarization anisotropy was observed with IP1 but not with IP2, indicating a relatively well-defined structure for the former. The reaction scheme that best accounts for the observed dynamics and its solvent dependence involves the simultaneous excitation of complexes that differ by their electronic coupling. The more coupled complexes have a high absorption coefficient and thus yield IP1, which undergoes ultrafast charge recombination, whereas the less coupled complexes have a lower probability to be excited and lead to the longer-lived IP2.     

Long‐Lived Charge Carriers in Mn‐Doped CdS Quantum Dots for Photoelectrochemical Cytosensing

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensing with semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) has received great attention because it integrates the advantages of both photo‐excitation and electrochemical detection. During the photon‐to‐electricity conversion in PEC processes, electron–hole (charge) separation competes with electron–hole recombination, and the net effect essentially determines the performance of PEC biosensors. Herein, we propose a new approach for slowing down electron–hole recombination to increase charge separation efficiency for PEC biosensor development. Through doping with Mn²⁺, a pair of d bands (⁴T₁ and ⁶A₁) is inserted between the conduction and valence bands of CdS QDs, which alters the electron–hole separation and recombination dynamics, allowing the generation of long‐lived charge carriers with ms‐scale lifetime that decay about 10⁴–10⁵‐fold more slowly than in the case of undoped QDs. Photocurrent tests indicated that Mn²⁺ doping resulted in an approximately 80 % increase in photocurrent generation compared with undoped CdS QDs. For application, the Mn‐doped CdS QDs were coated on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode and functionalized with a cell surface carbohydrate‐specific ligand (3‐aminophenylboronic acid). In this way, a sensitive cytosensor for K562 leukemia cells was constructed. Moreover, the sugar‐specific binding property of 3‐aminophenylboronic acid allowed the electrode to serve as a switch for the capture and release of cells. This has been further explored with a view to developing a reusable PEC cytosensing platform.     

The effects of photochemical and mechanical damage on the excited state dynamics of charge-transfer molecular crystals composed of tetracyanobenzene and aromatic donor molecules

Charge-transfer molecular crystals are structurally well-defined systems whose electron transfer dynamics can be studied using time-resolved spectroscopy. In this paper, five 1:1 complexes, consisting of 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene as the electron acceptor and durene, 9-methylanthracene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene as electron donors, are studied using time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption in the diffuse reflectance geometry. Two different sample morphologies were studied: single crystals and powders prepared by pulverizing the crystals and diluting them with barium sulfate microparticles. Fluorescence lifetime and transient absorption measurements performed on the crystals and the powders yielded different results. The crystals typically exhibited long-lived monoexponential fluorescence decays, while the powders had shorter multiexponential decays. Exposure of both types of samples to high laser fluence was also shown to induce faster excited state decay dynamics as observed using fluorescence and diffuse reflectance. In addition to the more rapid decays, these molecular crystals exhibited relatively high photobleaching quantum yields on the order of 10(-4). Previous work that interpreted picosecond decays in the transient absorption as evidence for rapid recombination and charge dissociation should be re-evaluated based on the susceptibility of this class of compounds to mechanical and photochemical damage.     

Dual-Time Scale Photoinduced Electron Transfer from PbS Quantum Dots to a Molecular Acceptor

A combination of picosecond and microsecond transient absorption dynamics reveals the involvement of two mechanisms by which 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) induces the decay of the excited state of PbS quantum dots (QDs): (i) electron transfer to BQ molecules adsorbed to the surfaces of PbS QDs and (ii) collisionally gated electron transfer to freely diffusing BQ. Together, these two mechanisms quantitatively describe the quenching of photoluminescence upon addition of BQ to PbS QDs in dichloromethane solution. This work represents the first quantitative study of a QD-ligand system that undergoes both adsorbed and collisionally gated photoinduced charge transfer within the same sample. The availability of a collisionally gated pathway improves the yield of electron transfer from PbS QDs to BQ by an average factor of 2.5 over that for static electron transfer alone.     

Temperature dependence of charge separation and recombination in porphyrin oligomer-fullerene donor-acceptor systems

Electron-transfer reactions are fundamental to many practical devices, but because of their complexity, it is often very difficult to interpret measurements done on the complete device. Therefore, studies of model systems are crucial. Here the rates of charge separation and recombination in donor-acceptor systems consisting of a series of butadiyne-linked porphyrin oligomers (n = 1-4, 6) appended to C(60) were investigated. At room temperature, excitation of the porphyrin oligomer led to fast (5-25 ps) electron transfer to C(60) followed by slower (200-650 ps) recombination. The temperature dependence of the charge-separation reaction revealed a complex process for the longer oligomers, in which a combination of (i) direct charge separation and (ii) migration of excitation energy along the oligomer followed by charge separation explained the observed fluorescence decay kinetics. The energy migration is controlled by the temperature-dependent conformational dynamics of the longer oligomers and thereby limits the quantum yield for charge separation. Charge recombination was also studied as a function of temperature through measurements of femtosecond transient absorption. The temperature dependence of the electron-transfer reactions could be successfully modeled using the Marcus equation through optimization of the electronic coupling (V) and the reorganization energy (λ). For the charge-separation rate, all of the donor-acceptor systems could be successfully described by a common electronic coupling, supporting a model in which energy migration is followed by charge separation. In this respect, the C(60)-appended porphyrin oligomers are suitable model systems for practical charge-separation devices such as bulk-heterojunction solar cells, where conformational disorder strongly influences the electron-transfer reactions and performance of the device.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in Os(terpyridine)-biphenylene-(bi)pyridinium assemblies

A series of linearly arranged donor-spacer-acceptor (D-S-A) systems 1-3, has been prepared and characterized. These dyads combine an Os(II)bis(terpyridine) unit as the photoactivable electron donor (D), a biphenylene (2) or phenylene-xylylene (3) fragment as the spacer (S), and a N-aryl-2,6-diphenylpyridinium electrophore (with aryl = 4-pyridyl or 4-pyridylium in 1 or 2/3, respectively) as the acceptor (A). Their absorption spectra, redox behavior, and luminescence properties (both at 77 K in rigid matrix and at 298 K in fluid solution) have been studied. The electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of a representative compound of the series (i.e., 2) have also been investigated at the theoretical level, performing Density Functional Theory (DFT)-based calculations. Time-dependent transient absorption spectra of 1-3 have also been recorded at room temperature. The results indicate that efficient photoinduced oxidative electron transfer takes place in the D-S-A systems at room temperature in fluid solution, for which rate constants (in the range 4 × 10(8)-2 × 10(10) s(-1)) depend on the driving force of the process and the spacer nature. In all the D-S-A systems, charge recombination is faster than photoinduced charge separation, in spite of the relatively large energy of the D(+)-S-A(-) charge-separated states (between 1.47 and 1.78 eV for the various species), which would suggest that the charge recombination occurs in the Marcus inverted region. Considerations based on superexchange mechanism suggest that the reason for the fast charge recombination is the presence of a virtual D-S(+)-A(-) state at low energy--because of the involvement of the easily oxidizable biphenylene spacer--which is beneficial for charge recombination via superexchange but unsuitable for photoinduced charge separation. To further support the above statement, we prepared a fourth D-S-A species, 4, analogous to 2 but with a (hardly oxidizable) single phenylene fragment serving as the spacer. For such a species, charge recombination (about 3 × 10(10) s(-1)) is slower than photoinduced charge separation (about 1 × 10(11) s(-1)), thereby confirming our suggestions.     

Femtosecond ligand/core dynamics of microwave-assisted synthesized silicon quantum dots in aqueous solution

A microwave-assisted reaction has been developed to produce hydrogen-terminated silicon quantum dots (QDs). The Si QDs were passivated for water solubility via two different methods: hydrosilylation produced 3-aminopropenyl-terminated Si QDs, and a modified St?ber process produced silica-encapsulated Si QDs. Both methods produce water-soluble QDs with maximum emission at 414 nm, and after purification, the QDs exhibit intrinsic fluorescence quantum yield efficiencies of 15 and 23%, respectively. Even though the QDs have different surfaces, they exhibit nearly identical absorption and fluorescence spectra. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy was used for temporal resolution of the photoexcited carrier dynamics between the QDs and ligand. The transient dynamics of the 3-aminopropenyl-terminated Si QDs is interpreted as a formation and decay of a charge-transfer (CT) excited state between the delocalized π electrons of the carbon linker and the Si core excitons. This CT state is stable for ~4 ns before reverting back to a more stable, long-living species. The silica-encapsulated Si QDs show a simpler spectrum without CT dynamics.     

Formation and decay of localized contact radical ion pairs in DNA hairpins

The dynamics of charge separation and charge recombination in synthetic DNA hairpins possessing diphenylacetylene-4,4'-dicarboxamide linkers have been investigated by means of femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. The lowest excited singlet state of the linker is capable of oxidizing nearest neighbor adenine as well as guanine. A large wavelength shift in the transient absorption spectrum accompanies the conversion of the singlet linker to its anion radical, facilitating the investigation of electron-transfer dynamics. The rate constants for charge separation are dependent upon the oxidation potentials of the neighboring nucleobase donors but not upon the identity of nonnearest neighbors. Thus, the charge separation processes yield a contact radical ion pair in which the positive charge is localized on the neighboring nucleobase. Rate constants for charge recombination are dependent upon the identity of the first and second nearest-neighbor nucleobases but not more remote bases. This dependence is attributed to stabilization of the contact radical ion pair by interaction with its nearest neighbor. The absence of charge migration to form a base-pair separated radical ion pair is a consequence of Coulombic attraction in the contact radical ion pair and the low effective dielectric constant (epsilon < 7) experienced by the contact radical ion pair. Photoinduced charge injection to form a base-pair separated radical ion pair is necessary in order to observe charge migration.     

Hot‐Hole Extraction from Quantum Dot to Molecular Adsorbate

Ultrafast thermalized and hot‐hole‐transfer processes have been investigated in CdSe quantum dot (QD)/catechol composite systems in which hole transfer from photoexcited QDs to the catechols is thermodynamically favorable. A series of catechol derivatives were selected with different electron‐donating and ‐withdrawing groups, and the effect of these groups on hole transfer and charge recombination (CR) dynamics has been investigated. The hole‐transfer time was determined using the fluorescence upconversion technique and found to be 2–10 ps depending on the molecular structure of the catechol derivatives. The hot‐hole‐transfer process was followed after monitoring 2S luminescence of CdSe QDs. Interestingly, hot‐hole extraction was observed only in the CdSe/3‐methoxycatechol (3‐OCH₃) composite system owing to the higher electron‐donating property of the 3‐methoxy group. To confirm the extraction of the hot hole and to monitor the CR reaction in CdSe QD/catechol composite systems, ultrafast transient absorption studies have been carried out. Ultrafast transient‐absorption studies show that the bleach recovery kinetics of CdSe QD at the 2S excitonic position is much faster in the presence of 3‐OCH₃. This faster bleach recovery at the 2S position in CdSe/3‐OCH₃ suggests hot‐hole transfer from CdSe QD to 3‐OCH₃. CR dynamics in CdSe QD/catechol composite systems was followed by monitoring the excitonic bleach at the 1S position and was found to decrease with free energy of the CR reaction.     

Light harvesting zinc naphthalocyanine-perylenediimide supramolecular dyads: long-lived charge-separated states in nonpolar media

Photoinduced electron-transfer dynamics of self-assembled donor-acceptor dyads formed by axial coordination of zinc naphthalocyanine, ZnNc, and perylenediimide (PDI) bearing either pyridine (py) or imidazole (im) coordinating ligands were investigated. The PDIim unit was functionalized with tert-octylphenoxy groups at the bay positions, which avoid aggregation providing solubility, to examine the effect of the bulky substituents at the bay positions on the rates of electron-transfer reactions. The combination between zinc naphthalocyanine and perylenediimide entities absorbs light over a wide region of the visible and near infrared (NIR) spectrum. The binding constants of the self-assembled ZnNc:PDIpy (1) and ZnNc:PDIim (2) in toluene were found to be 2.40 × 10(4) and 1.10 × 10(5) M(-1), respectively, from the steady-state absorption and emission measurements, indicating formation of moderately stable complexes. The geometric and electronic calculations by using an ab initio B3LYP/6-311G method showed the majority of the highest occupied frontier molecular orbital (HOMO) on the zinc naphthalocyanine entity, while the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was on the perylenediimide entities, suggesting that the charge-separated states of the supramolecular dyads are ZnNc˙(+):PDI˙(-). The electrochemical results suggest the exothermic charge-separation process via the singlet states of both ZnNc and PDI entities in nonpolar toluene. Upon coordination of perylenediimide to ZnNc, the main quenching pathway involved charge separation via the singlet-excited states of ZnNc and PDIs. Clear evidence of the intramolecular electron transfer from the singlet-excited state of ZnNc to PDI within the supramolecular dyads in toluene was monitored by the femtosecond laser photolysis by observing the characteristic absorption band of the PDI radical anion (PDI˙(-)) and the ZnNc radical cation (ZnNc˙(+)) in the visible and NIR regions. The rate constants of charge-separation (k(CS)) processes of the self-assembled dyads 1 and 2 were determined to be 4.05 × 10(10) and 1.20 × 10(9) s(-1), respectively. The rate constant of charge recombination (k(CR)) and the lifetime of charge-separated states (τ(CS)) of dyad 1 were determined to be 2.34 × 10(8) s(-1) and 4.30 ns, respectively. Interestingly, a slower charge recombination (2.20 × 10(7) s(-1)) and a longer lifetime of the charge separated state (45 ns) were observed in dyad 2 in nonpolar toluene by utilizing the nanosecond transient measurements. The absorption in a wide section of the solar spectrum and the high charge-separation/charge-recombination ratio suggest the usefulness of the self-assembled zinc naphthalocyanine-perylenediimide dyads as good photosynthetic models.     

Nonlinear optical approach to multiexciton relaxation dynamics in quantum dots

Unlike the majority of molecular systems quantum dots can accommodate multiple excitations, which is a particularly important attribute for potential lasing applications. We demonstrate in this work the concept of using nth order nonlinear spectroscopies in the transient grating configuration as a means of selectively exciting (n-1)/2 excitons in a semiconductor and probing the subsequent relaxation dynamics. We report a direct observation of multiparticle dynamics on ultrashort time scales through comparison of third and fifth order experiments for CdSe colloidal quantum dots. Time constants associated with multiexciton recombination and depopulation dynamics are reported. Deviation from a Poisson model for the distribution of photoexcited excitons, biexcitons, and triexcitons is also discussed.     

卤代苯溶剂对镓咔咯配合物光物理性质的影响:外重原子效应

利用紫外-可见光谱、稳态和时间分辨荧光光谱以及飞秒瞬态吸收光谱探测了不同卤代苯溶剂对三种五氟苯基取代的镓咔咯(1-Ga、2-Ga、3-Ga)光物理性质的影响,结果表明卤代苯溶剂的色散力对于镓咔咯电子光谱吸收峰位置的影响起着主要作用;溶剂外重原子效应能显著降低镓咔咯的荧光量子产率。飞秒瞬态吸收光谱表明,光激发下,镓咔咯与卤代苯溶剂之间可发生电子转移反应,溶剂的重原子效应可以减缓电荷分离态复合物电荷重组速率。