Semiconductor Nanoparticles

Semiconductor nanoparticles exhibit size dependent properties, when their size is comparable to the size of Bohr diameter for exciton. This can be exploited to increase fluorescence efficiency or increase the internal magnetic field strength in doped semiconductors. Nanoparticles are usually unstable and can aggregate. It is therefore necessary to protect them. Surface passivation using capping molecules or by making core–shell particles are some useful ways. Here synthesis and results on doped and un-doped nanoparticles of ZnS, CdS and ZnO will be discussed. We shall present results on core–shell particles using some of these nanoparticles and also discuss briefly the effect of Mn doping on hyperfine interactions in case of CdS nanoparticles.     

The luminescence properties of the ZnO@ZnWO4:Eu core–shell composites

The ZnO@ZnWO₄:Eu³⁺ core–shell composites were prepared by a two-step hydrothermal method and the photoluminescence properties of the composites were studied in contrast to the corresponding hexagonal ZnO and monoclinic ZnWO₄: Eu³⁺ nanocrystals prepared by the one-step hydrothermal method. The results demonstrate that in the nanocomposites the Eu³⁺ ions in the ZnWO₄ phase occupy two symmetry sites, one a well-crystalline inner site and one a disordered surface site; while in the ZnWO₄: Eu³⁺ nanocrystals, the local environments surrounding Eu³⁺ ions are relatively disordered for both the inner and the surface sites. This indicates that in the composites, the crystallinity of the ZnWO₄ becomes better, which have positive influence on the improvement of photoluminescence. The temperature stabilities for both the emissions of ZnO and Eu³⁺ ions are improved in contrast to the pure ZnO or ZnWO₄:Eu³⁺ nanocrystals.     

Investigation of the radiative lifetime in core–shell CdSe/ZnS and CdSe/ZnSe quantum dots

Using the one band effective mass approximation model we computed the optical properties of the spherical shaped CdSe/ZnS and Cdse/ZnSe core–shell quantum dot (CSQD). For each structure we calculated the charge carrier energies and corresponding wave functions. We investigated the dependence of the carrier energies on various parameters of the CSQD, including its size. Then we calculated the radiative recombination lifetime for the two types of CSQDs nanocrystals. We found that as the size of the dot is increased the optical gap of CSQD is reduced, resulting in a reduction in electron energies and an increase in hole energies. We have shown that the radiative recombination lifetime in the CdSe/ZnS and CdSe/ZnSe CSQDs decreased by increasing the shell thickness around the core of the QD. We also showed that the radiative lifetime in the CdSe/ZnS is less than that in the CdSe/ZnSe CSQDs and is sensitive to the size and nature of shell of the semiconductor's material.     

A direct measurement of g-factors in II–VI and III–V core–shell nanocrystals

This study describes a direct measurement of spectroscopic g-factors of photo-generated carriers in InP/ZnS and HgTe/Hg_xCd_1−xTe(S) core–shell nanocrystals. The g-factor of trapped electrons and their spin-lattice versus radiative relaxation ratio (T₁/τ) were measured by the use of continuous-wave and time-resolved optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectroscopy. The g-factors of excitons and donor–hole pairs were derived by the use of field-induced circular-polarized photoluminescence (CP-PL) spectroscopy. The combined information enabled to determine the g-factors of the individual band-edge electrons and holes. The results suggested an increase of the g-factor of the exciton and conduction electron with a decrease of the nanocrystal size.     

Stably dispersible P3HT/ZnO nanocomposites with tunable luminescence by in-situ hydrolysis and copolymerization of zinc methacrylate

In this paper, the copolymer shell with the internal hydrophobic polymethacrylate layer and the external hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether groups was successfully bonded on the surface of ZnO nanocrystals through a simple sol–gel method, i.e., radical polymerization of zinc methacrylate (Zn(MA)₂) and poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMEMA) and hydrolysis. The prepared ZnO@poly(methacrylate-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (ZnO@PPEGMA) nanocrystals showed good dispersion and smaller particle size, due to the presence of copolymer shell. The optical properties of ZnO@PPEGMA nanocrystals were characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The results indicated that the absorption edge and PL emission in the UV region of ZnO@PPEGMA nanocrystals appeared obvious blue-shift, due to the smaller particle size. Incorporation of ZnO@PPEGMA nanocrystals into poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) matrix, the dispersion of P3HT/ZnO@PPEGMA nanocomposites was greatly improved and the nanocomposites possessed excellent photoluminescence stability. Meanwhile, it was observed that the PL emission of P3HT/ZnO@PPEGMA nanocomposites was enhanced significantly, due to the presence of copolymer shell and the improvement of compatibility of ZnO@PPEGMA in the P3HT matrix. The results showed that the P3HT/ZnO@PPEGMA nanocomposites could be potential candidates for optical applications.     

单核/双壳结构CdSe/CdS/ZnS纳米晶的合成与发光性质

以巯基乙酸为稳定剂,在水溶液中合成了单核/双壳结构的CdSe/CdS/ZnS纳米晶。在内核CdSe和外壳ZnS之间的内壳CdS作为晶格匹配调节层,能够很好的改善核/壳界面处的性能,而且,最外层ZnS能够最大程度地使激子受限。用TEM和XPS对纳米晶进行了表征,并且用光致发光光谱和吸收光谱对不同核壳结构的纳米晶的发光性能进行了比较,结果表明单核/双壳结构的纳米晶具有更加优异的发光特性。     

Structural, Raman, and photoluminescence characteristics of ZnO nanowires coated with Al-doped ZnO shell layers

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) shell layers were coated on core ZnO nanowires to fabricate ZnO/AZO core–shell nanowires. The energy-dispersive X-ray spectra confirmed the presence of Al element in the shell layers, and the lattice resolved transmission electron microscopy image revealed that these layers corresponded to the hexagonal ZnO structure. The X-ray diffraction pattern exhibited a shift of the ZnO peaks, suggesting the substitutive incorporation of Al into the ZnO lattice. The A₁(LO) mode line in the Raman spectra was enhanced by the AZO coating. In the photoluminescence measurements, the AZO coating enhanced the intensity ratio of the UV to green emission.     

ZnO/ZnS核-壳量子点的双光子吸收效应

利用飞秒激光Z-扫描与泵浦-探测技术,研究了室温下ZnO/ZnS与ZnO/ZnS/Ag核-壳胶体量子点的双光子吸收效应.研究发现:ZnO基核-壳量子点的本征双光子吸收系数比ZnO体材料增大了3个数量级;测量得到的660 nm处的ZnO/ZnS核-壳量子点双光子吸收截面约为4.3×10^-44 cm⁴·s·photon^-1,比相应的ZnS、ZnSe及 CdS量子点大2个数量级;当ZnO/ZnS核-壳量子点镶嵌了银纳米点时,非线性吸收有所增强.ZnO基复合纳米结构的双光子吸收增强可归因于量子限域与局域场效应.     

CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS多壳层结构量子点的制备与表征

展示了一种简捷的多壳层量子点合成路线。在含有过量Se源的CdSe体系中直接注入Zn源,"一步法"合成了CdSe/ZnSe量子点;进一步以CdSe/ZnSe为"核",表面外延生长ZnS壳层制备了核/壳/壳结构CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS量子点。相对于以往报道的多壳层结构量子点的制备方法,该方法通过减少壳层的生长步骤有效地简化了实验操作,缩短了实验周期,同时减少对原料的损耗。对量子点进行高温退火处理,能够大幅提高CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS量子点的发光量子产率。透射电镜、XRD以及光谱研究表明:所制备的量子点接近球形,核与壳层纳米晶均为闪锌矿结构,最终获得的CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS量子点的光致发光量子产率达到53％。为了实现量子点的表面生物功能化,通过巯基酸进行了表面配体交换修饰,使量子点表面具有水溶性的羧基功能团,并且能够维持较高的光致发光量子产率。     

Fabrication of nano-structured polythiophene nanoparticles in aqueous dispersion

The synthetic route of unsubstituted polythiophene (PT) nanoparticles was investigated in aqueous dispersion via Fe³⁺-catalyzed oxidative polymerization. With this new synthetic method, high conversion of thiophene monomers was obtained with only a trace of FeCl₃. The dispersion state showed that the PT nanoparticles were well dispersed in many polar solvents, compared to non-polar solvents, such as acetone, chloroform, hexane, and ethyl acetate. To compare the photoluminescence properties between PT nanoparticle dispersion and PT bulk polymers, the PL intensities were measured in the same measuring conditions. Further, core–shell poly(styrene/thiophene) (poly(St/Th)) latex particles were successfully prepared by Fe³⁺-catalyzed oxidative polymerization during emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization. The different polymerization rates of each monomer resulted in core–shell structure of the poly(St/Th) latex particles. The PL data of the only crumpled shells gave evidence that the shell component of core–shell poly(St/Th) latex particles is indeed PT, which was corroborated by SEM data. PL intensity of the core–shell poly(St/Th) nanoparticle dispersion was much higher than that of the PT nanoparticle dispersion, due to its thin shell layer morphology, which was explained by the self-absorption effect.     

Synthesis of high quality and monodisperse CdS:Mn/ZnS and CdS:Mn/CdS core–shell nanoparticles

CdS:Mn²⁺/ZnS and CdS:Mn²⁺/CdS core–shell nanoparticles were synthesized in aqueous medium via chemical precipitation method in an ambient atmosphere. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as a capping agent. The effect of the shell (ZnS and CdS) thickness on CdS:Mn²⁺ nanoparticles was investigated. Inorganically passivated core/shell nanocrystals having a core (CdS:Mn²⁺) diameter of 4 nm and a ZnS-shell thickness of ∼0.5 nm exhibited improved PL intensity. Optimum concentration of doping ions (Mn²⁺) was selected through optical study. For all the core–shell samples two emission peaks were observed, the first one is band edge emission in the lower wavelength side due to energy transfer to the Mn²⁺ ions in the crystal lattice; the second emission is characteristic peak of Mn²⁺ ions (⁴T₁ → ⁶A₁). The XRD, TEM and PL results showed that the synthesized core–shell particles were of high quality and monodisperse.     

CuInS2纳米晶的制备和发光性质

以十二硫醇为溶剂,通过选择合适的金属源制备了各种尺寸的CuInS₂量子点。观察到随着粒子的尺寸减小,其吸收和发光光谱明显蓝移,存在明显的量子尺寸效应。通过在CuInS₂纳米晶表面包覆ZnS壳层,发现随着壳层厚度增加,其发光量子效率明显提高,最大达到了48%;继续增加壳层厚度,其发光量子效率反而降低。进一步测量它们的荧光寿命,发现包覆ZnS壳层后的CuInS₂纳米晶的荧光寿命明显增加,证实表面包覆明显减少其表面的无辐射复合中心,提高了其发光效率。进一步制备了CuInS₂/ZnS核壳量子点发光二极管,并对其电致发光性质进行了研究。     

ZnO–CuO core–shell nanorods and CuO-nanoparticle–ZnO-nanorod integrated structures

ZnO–CuO core–shell nanorods and CuO-nanoparticle–ZnO-nanorod integrated structures were synthesized for the first time by a two-stage solution process. Scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy show that the diameter and the length of the nanorods are around 60 and 800 nm, respectively. The morphologies of outer CuO could be varied from nanoparticles to nanoshells by adjusting the solvent and dipping processes of copper (II) nitrate solution. The CuO nanoparticles are single-crystalline or highly textured structures with size of around 30 nm. The CuO shell with thickness of around 10 nm is constructed of nanocrystals with sizes in the range of 3–10 nm embedded in an amorphous matrix. Room-temperature cathodoluminescence measurements of the CuO–ZnO nanocomposites exhibit relatively sharp ultraviolet emissions at 380 nm as well as broad green and yellow emissions at 500 and 585 nm. The p-CuO/n-ZnO one-dimensional nanocomposites are promising for optoelectronic nanodevice applications.     

Photostability of luminescent water-soluble cadmium selenide nanocrystals with chemical surface modification

We have developed a method for solubilization of hydrophobic CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals of the core/shell type, obtained by high-temperature synthesis in coordinating organic solvents. The method is based on chemical modification of the surface of the nanocrystals with hydrophilic organic mercapto compounds. We have observed that long-chain mercaptoundecanoic acid molecules effectively protect the surface of CdSe/ZnS nanocrystals in water, increasing (compared with short-chain molecules) the photostability of the nanocrystals. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 73, No. 4, pp. 506–509, July–August, 2006.     

Luminescence enhancement of Mn doped ZnS nanocrystals passivated with zinc hydroxide

Mn-doped ZnS nanocrystals prepared by solvothermal method have been successfully coated with different thicknesses of Zn(OH)₂ shells through precipitation reaction. The impact of Zn(OH)₂ shells on luminescent properties of the ZnS:Mn nanocrystals was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements showed that the ZnS:Mn nanocrystals have cubic zinc blende structure. The morphology of nanocrystals is spherical shape measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). ZnS:Mn/Zn(OH)₂ core/shell nanocrystals exhibited much improved luminescent properties than those of unpassivated ZnS:Mn nanocrystals. The luminescence enhancement was observed with the Zn(OH)₂ shell thickening by photoluminescence (PL) spectra at room temperature and the luminescence lifetime of transition from ⁴T₁ to ⁶A₁ of Mn²⁺ ions was also prolonged. This result was led by the effective, robust passivation of ZnS surface states by the Zn(OH)₂ shells, which consequently suppressed nonradiative recombination transitions.     

Synthesis and characterization of highly-ordered ZnO/PbS core/shell heterostructures

The strategy to manipulate nanoscale building blocks into well-organized heterostructures is very important to both material synthesis and nanodevice applications. In this work, highly-ordered ZnO/PbS core/shell nanowire arrays were fabricated by a facile and low temperature chemical route. Large area and well-aligned ZnO nanowire arrays were firstly fabricated on conductive glass substrates, and then the synthesis of ZnO/ZnS and ZnO/PbS core/shell nanowire arrays were realized by a chemical conversion method. The morphology, structure, and composition of the obtained nanostructures were confirmed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction measurements. The optical properties of the synthesized nanostructures were investigated by micro-Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. In the synthesized ZnO/PbS core/shell nanowire arrays, the ZnO cores can provide direct conduction pathways for electron transport and PbS shells possess superior photoelectric performance. Therefore, the obtained ZnO/PbS core/shell nanostructures may have potential application in photovoltaic devices.     

Atomistic tight-binding computations of the structural and optical properties of CdTe/CdX (X=S and Se)/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals

A study of CdTe/CdX (X=S and Se)/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals is carried out using atomistic tight-binding theory and the configuration interaction method to provide information for applications in bioimaging, biolabeling, display devices and near-infrared electronic instruments. The calculations yield the dependences of the internal and external passivated shells on the natural behaviours of CdTe/CdX (X=S and Se)/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals. The reduction of the optical band gaps is observed with increasing numbers of monolayers in the external ZnS shell due to quantum confinement. Interestingly, the optical band gaps of CdTe/CdS/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals are greater than those of CdTe/CdSe/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals. In the presence of an external ZnS-coated shell, electron–hole wave function overlaps, oscillation strengths, ground-state exchange energies and Stokes shift are improved, whereas ground-state coulomb energies and fine-structure splitting are reduced. The oscillation strengths, Stokes shift and fine-structure splitting are reduced with the increase in external ZnS shell thickness. The oscillation strengths, Stokes shift and fine-structure splitting of CdTe/CdS/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals are larger than those of CdTe/CdSe/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals. Reduction of the atomistic electron–hole interactions is observed with increasing external ZnS shell size. The strong electron–hole interactions are more probed in CdTe/CdS/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals than in CdTe/CdSe/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals.     

Synthesis and properties of CdSe Quantum Dot sensitized ZnO nanocomposites

In this work, zinc oxide nanocrystals with an average particle size of 13–22 nm are readily synthesized in aqueous medium by the wet synthesis method. Different sized nanocrystals obtained with change in calcination temperature are characterized by PL photoluminescence (PL) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopies, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The average crystal size of the as prepared ZnO nanopowder is determined by XRD and was found to be in good agreement with the UV–vis absorption analysis. The quality of different ZnO nanopowders is confirmed by XRD spectra. On the basis of different characterizations, ZnO calcined for 1 h (due to its large size and less agglomeration) is chosen for synthesis of ZnO–CdSe nanocomposites with variable sized CdSe QD's (Quantum Dots). Nano-composites are synthesized using bifunctional linker molecule Mercaptopropionic Acid (MPA), and by directly adsorbing CdSe QD's over the surface of ZnO nanocrystals. The difference in charge transfer mechanism in ZnO–CdSe nanocomposites due to different crystallite size of CdSe QD's is studied. Higher crystallinity of ZnO–CdSe nanocomposites can be determined from XRD characterization. Size and mode of attachment in various ZnO–CdSe nanocomposites are determined by SEM studies.     

In situ preparation and fluorescence quenching properties of polythiophene/ZnO nanocrystals hybrids through atom-transfer radical polymerization and hydrolysis

In this paper, a new approach for in situ preparing nanocomposites of conjugated polymers (CPs) and semiconductor nanocrystals was developed. Polythiophene grafted poly(zinc methacrylate) (PTh-g-PZMA) copolymer was synthesized by atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of zinc methacrylate (ZMA) initiated from the macroinitiator poly(2,5-(3-(bromoisopropyl-carbonyl-oxymethylene) thiophene)) (PTh-Br) with pendant initiator groups. Subsequently, the polythiophene grafted poly(methacrylate)/ZnO (PTh-g-PMA/ZnO) hybrid heterojunction nanocomposites were successfully prepared by in situ hydrolysis of PTh-g-PZMA casting films in alkaline aqueous solution. The structures of PTh-Br, PTh-g-PZMA and PTh-g-PMA/ZnO were confirmed by the proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectra, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The morphologies of PTh-g-PMA/ZnO films prepared for different hydrolysis time were observed in the cross-sections by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM images revealed that ZnO nanocrystals were uniformly dispersed in polymers without any aggregation and the appearances of ZnO nanocrystals changed from nanoparticles to nanorods with the hydrolysis treatment time increasing. The optical properties of these nanocomposites were studied by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy showed that the adsorption band of PTh-g-PMA/ZnO hybrids was broader than that of PTh-Br, implying that the existence of ZnO nanocrystals increased the optical absorption region of hybrids. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the hybrids showed that fluorescence quenching occurred in PTh-g-PMA/ZnO blends and a maximum of 85% of the fluorescence intensity quenched in the PTh-g-PMA/ZnO obtained from treatment in NaOH aqueous solution for 2 h, which revealed the existence of photo-induced charge transfer between the polythiophene chains and ZnO. These results indicated that the hybrid heterojunction nanocomposites could be promising candidates for photovoltaic applications.     

Preparation and photocatalytic properties of hybrid core–shell reusable CoFe2O4–ZnO nanospheres

Magnetically separable and reusable core–shell CoFe₂O₄–ZnO photocatalyst nanospheres were prepared by the hydrothermal synthesis technique using glucose derived carbon nanospheres as the template. The morphology and the phase of core–shell hybrid structure of CoFe₂O₄–ZnO were assessed via TEM, SEM and XRD. The magnetic composite showed high UV photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue in water. The photocatalytic activity was found to be ZnO shell thickness dependent. Thicker ZnO shells lead to higher rate of photocatalytic activity. Hybrid nanospheres recovered using an external magnetic field demonstrated good repeatability of photocatalytic activity. These results promise the reusability of the hybrid nanospheres for photocatalytic activity.