Radial-position-controlled doping in CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals

In this paper, we report a new doping approach using a three-step synthesis to make high-quality Mn-doped CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals. This approach allows precise control of the Mn radial position and doping level in the core/shell nanocrystals. On the basis of this synthetic advance, we have demonstrated the first example in which optical properties of Mn-doped nanocrystals strongly depend on Mn radial positions inside the nanocrystals. In addition, we have synthesized nanocrystals with a room-temperature Mn-emission quantum yield of 56%, which is nearly twice as high as that of the best Mn-doped nanocrystals reported previously. Nanocrystals with such a high-emission quantum yield are very important to applications such as nanocrystal-based biomedical diagnosis.     

Aqueous synthesis of glutathione-capped CdTe/CdS/ZnS and CdTe/CdSe/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystal heterostructures

Here we demonstrate the aqueous synthesis of colloidal nanocrystal heterostructures consisting of the CdTe core encapsulated by CdS/ZnS or CdSe/ZnS shells using glutathione (GSH), a tripeptide, as the capping ligand. The inner CdTe/CdS and CdTe/CdSe heterostructures have type-I, quasi-type-II, or type-II band offsets depending on the core size and shell thickness, and the outer CdS/ZnS and CdSe/ZnS structures have type-I band offsets. The emission maxima of the assembled heterostructures were found to be dependent on the CdTe core size, with a wider range of spectral tunability observed for the smaller cores. Because of encapsulation effects, the formation of successive shells resulted in a considerable increase in the photoluminescence quantum yield; however, identifying optimal shell thicknesses was required to achieve the maximum quantum yield. Photoluminescence lifetime measurements revealed that the decrease in the quantum yield of thick-shell nanocrystals was caused by a substantial decrease in the radiative rate constant. By tuning the diameter of the core and the thickness of each shell, a broad range of high quantum yield (up to 45%) nanocrystal heterostructures with emission ranging from visible to NIR wavelengths (500-730 nm) were obtained. This versatile route to engineering the optical properties of nanocrystal heterostructures will provide new opportunities for applications in bioimaging and biolabeling.     

Efficient synthesis of highly luminescent copper indium sulfide-based core/shell nanocrystals with surprisingly long-lived emission

We report an efficient synthesis of copper indium sulfide nanocrystals with strong photoluminescence in the visible to near-infrared. This method can produce gram quantities of material with a chemical yield in excess of 90% with minimal solvent waste. The overgrowth of as-prepared nanocrystals with a few monolayers of CdS or ZnS increases the photoluminescence quantum efficiency to > 80%. On the basis of time-resolved spectroscopic studies of core/shell particles, we conclude that the emission is due to an optical transition that couples a quantized electron state to a localized hole state, which is most likely associated with an internal defect.     

Single-source precursor route for overcoating CdS and ZnS shells around CdSe core nanocrystals

We reported a facile route for overcoating CdS and ZnS shells around colloidal CdSe core nanocrystals. To synthesize such double shelled core/shell nanocrystals, first, CdSe core nanocrystals were prepared in a much “greener” and cheap route, which did not involve the use of hazardous and expensive trioctylphosphine. Then, a low-cost and labor-saving route was adopted for the CdS and ZnS shell growth with the use of thermal decomposition of commercial available air stable single-source precursors cadmium diethyldithio-carbamate and zinc diethyldithiocarbamate in a non-coordinating solvent at intermediate temperatures. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy images confirm the epitaxial growth of the shell in the core/shell nanocrystals. The photoluminescence quantum yield of the resulting CdSe/CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals can be as high as 90% in organic media and up to 60% after phase transfer into aqueous media. By varying the size of CdSe cores, the emission wavelength of the obtained core/shell nanostructures can span from 554 to 636 nm.     

Large scale synthesis of stable tricolor Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core/multishell nanocrystals via a facile phosphine-free colloidal method

Here we report a new "green" method to synthesize Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se (x = 0-1) and stable red-green-blue tricolor Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core/shell nanocrystals using only low cost, phosphine-free and environmentally friendly reagents. The first excitonic absorption peak and photoluminescence (PL) position of the Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se nanocrystals (the value of x is in the range 0.005-0.2) can be fixed to any position in the range 456-540 nm. There is no red or blue shift in the entire reaction process. Three similar sizes of alloyed Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se nanocrystals with blue, green, and yellow emissions were successfully selected as cores to synthesize high quality blue, green, and red core/shell nanocrystal emitters. For the synthesis of core/shell nanocrystals with a high quantum yield (QY) and stability, the selection of shell materials has been proven to be very important. Therefore, alternative protocols have been used to optimize thick shell growth. ZnSe/ZnSe(x)S(1-x) and CdS/Zn(1-x)Cd(x)S have been found as an excellent middle multishell to overcoat between the alloyed Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core and ZnS outshell. The QYs of the as-synthesized core/shell alloyed Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se nanocrystals can reach 40-75%. The Cd content is reduced to less than 0.1% for Zn(1 -x)Cd(x)Se core/shell nanocrystals with emissions in the range 456-540 nm. More than 15 g of high quality Zn(1-x)Cd(x)Se core/shell nanocrystals were prepared successfully in a large scale, one-pot reaction. Importantly, the emissions of such thick multishell nanocrystals are not susceptible to ligand loss and stability in various physiological conditions.     

One-pot synthesis of highly luminescent InP/ZnS nanocrystals without precursor injection

InP/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals are prepared using a single-step heating-up method relying on the difference in reactivity of the applied InP and ZnS precursors. The obtained particles exhibit size-dependent emission in the range of 480-590 nm, a fluorescence quantum yield of 50-70%, and high photostability.     

Highly Stable CdSe/CdS/ZnS Fluorophores in Acidic Environment: Acile Preparation and Modification of Core/shell/shell Nanocrystals

We described a facile method for preparing CdSe/CdS/ZnS core/shell/shell nanocrystals from air-stable single source precursors.The single source precursors of cadmium ethylxanthate and zinc ethylxanthate were used to form CdS and ZnS shell layers in octadecene.An efficient modification of CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals was subsequently performed to obtain hydrophilic nanocrystal fluorophores with good stability in a pH range of 1.6-10.     

Singlet oxygen production by Peptide-coated quantum dot-photosensitizer conjugates

Peptide-coated quantum dot-photosensitizer conjugates were developed using novel covalent conjugation strategies on peptides which overcoat quantum dots (QDs). Rose bengal and chlorin e6, photosensitizers (PSs) that generate singlet oxygen in high yield, were covalently attached to phytochelatin-related peptides. The photosensitizer-peptide conjugates were subsequently used to overcoat green- and red-emitting CdSe/CdS/ZnS nanocrystals. Generation of singlet oxygen could be achieved via indirect excitation through F?rster (fluorescence) resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the nanocrystals to PSs, or by direct excitation of the PSs. In the latter case, by using two color excitations, the conjugate could be simultaneously used for fluorescence imaging and singlet oxygen generation. Singlet oxygen quantum yields as high as 0.31 were achieved using 532-nm excitation wavelengths.     

单源前体合成水溶性的CdS和ZnS纳米晶

0引言量子点(QuantumDots)一般指半径小于或接近玻尔激子半径的半导体纳米晶颗粒。和有机染料分子相比,无机半导体纳米晶的带隙宽度可通过简单     

Electronic absorption spectroscopy of cobalt ions in diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots: demonstration of an isocrystalline core/shell synthetic method.

This paper reports the application of ligand-field electronic absorption spectroscopy to probe Co(2+) dopant ions in diluted magnetic semiconductor quantum dots. It is found that standard inverted micelle coprecipitation methods for preparing Co(2+)-doped CdS (Co(2+):CdS) quantum dots yield dopant ions predominantly bound to the nanocrystal surfaces. These Co(2+):CdS nanocrystals are unstable with respect to solvation of surface-bound Co(2+), and time-dependent absorption measurements allow identification of two transient surface-bound intermediates involving solvent-cobalt coordination. Comparison with Co(2+):ZnS quantum dots prepared by the same methods, which show nearly isotropic dopant distribution, indicates that the large mismatch between the ionic radii of Co(2+) (0.74 A) and Cd(2+) (0.97 A) is responsible for exclusion of Co(2+) ions during CdS nanocrystal growth. An isocrystalline core/shell preparative method is developed that allows synthesis of internally doped Co(2+):CdS quantum dots through encapsulation of surface-bound ions beneath additional layers of CdS.     

Microwave-assisted growth and characterization of water-dispersed CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals with high photoluminescence

A novel microwave-assisted method of growth of high-quality CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in the aqueous phase is presented in this paper. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) is greatly enhanced by epitaxial growth of the CdS shell. Under optimum conditions, the PLQY of as-prepared nanocrystals reaches as high as 75% without any post-treatment. Furthermore, these investigations demonstrate that microwave irradiation is tremendously useful for fast epitaxial growth of nanocrystals due to its special characteristics. As a result, the microwave synthesis is sufficiently time-economizing (only five minutes are required) to obtain optimum amounts of CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals in comparison to the conventional illumination method (several days are required). Therefore, this current research not only provides a rapid microwave synthesis for producing highly fluorescent CdTe/CdS core-shell nanocrystals, but also it presents some advantages of the microwave synthesis in comparison to the illumination method.     

Large-scale synthesis of nearly monodisperse CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals using air-stable reagents via successive ion layer adsorption and reaction

Successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) originally developed for the deposition of thin films on solid substrates from solution baths is introduced as a technique for the growth of high-quality core/shell nanocrystals of compound semiconductors. The growth of the shell was designed to grow one monolayer at a time by alternating injections of air-stable and inexpensive cationic and anionic precursors into the reaction mixture with core nanocrystals. The principles of SILAR were demonstrated by the CdSe/CdS core/shell model system using its shell-thickness-dependent optical spectra as the probes with CdO and elemental S as the precursors. For this reaction system, a relatively high temperature, about 220-240 degrees C, was found to be essential for SILAR to fully occur. The synthesis can be readily performed on a multigram scale. The size distribution of the core/shell nanocrystals was maintained even after five monolayers of CdS shell (equivalent to about 10 times volume increase for a 3.5 nm CdSe nanocrystal) were grown onto the core nanocrystals. The epitaxial growth of the core/shell structures was verified by optical spectroscopy, TEM, XRD, and XPS. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) of the as-prepared CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals ranged from 20% to 40%, and the PL full-width at half-maximum (fwhm) was maintained between 23 and 26 nm, even for those nanocrystals for which the UV-vis and PL peaks red-shifted by about 50 nm from that of the core nanocrystals. Several types of brightening phenomena were observed, some of which can further boost the PL QY of the core/shell nanocrystals. The CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals were found to be superior in comparison to the highly luminescent CdSe plain core nanocrystals. The SILAR technique reported here can also be used for the growth of complex colloidal semiconductor nanostructures, such as quantum shells and colloidal quantum wells.     

Dendronized Cellulose Nanocrystals as Templates for Preparation of ZnS and CdS Quantum Dots

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) isolated from bleached bagasse pulp were modified with a second-generation isocyanate dendron (G2-dendron) to prepare dendronized cellulose nanocrystals (DCN). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), elemental analysis for nitrogen, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ¹³C magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C MAS NMR) proved occurrence of the modification of cellulose nanocrystals surfaces. The dendronized cellulose nanocrystals were used as templates for formation of ZnS and CdS quantum dots with uniform diameter at low temperature in water. The prepared DCN/QDs were highly soluble in water. TEM images showed that the size of the prepared quantum dots was about 5 nm in diameter. UV-Visible and fluorescence spectroscopy showed absorption and emission at wavelength values lower than that reported for bulk ZnS and CdS.     

水溶性CdSe/CdS纳米晶合成条件的优化研究

以巯基乙醇为修饰剂,在水溶液中合成了稳定的CdSe/CdS纳米晶,应用单因素法和多目标单纯形法探索合成条件。通过透射电镜观察所合成的纳米晶的形貌和大小,用紫外-可见吸收光谱和荧光光谱对其光学特性进行了表征。并且以L-色氨酸荧光量子产率0.14为标准,测量了合成的CdSe/CdS纳米晶的荧光量子产率为0.37。     

Single-precursor,one-pot versatile synthesis under near ambient conditions of tunable,single and dual band fluorescing metal sulfide nanoparticles

We present a simple and versatile method for the synthesis of high-quality size-controlled metal sulfide nanoparticles. A single compound (metal xanthate) is the precursor. A Lewis-base solvent is used to achieve a low reaction temperature of 50-150 degrees C, usually in air. Demonstrated with CdS, the precise control over the particle size (by regulating the temperature or the concentration) enables tuning the absorption and emission spectra of the particles. We also can control the relative intensity of the narrow (30-35 nm wide) excitonic emission (tunable in the range 430-480 nm with approximately 2% fluorescence quantum efficiency) and the broad emission associated with deep surface traps (in the range 550-700 nm). Using the same precursor CdS/ZnS core/shell particles are produced with a high PL yield ( approximately 14%).     

Type-II core/shell CdS/ZnSe nanocrystals: synthesis, electronic structures, and spectroscopic properties

We report a two-step synthesis of highly luminescent CdS/ZnSe core/shell nanocrystals (emission quantum yields up to 50%) that can produce efficient spatial separation of electrons and holes between the core and the shell (type-II localization regime). Our synthesis involves fabrication of cubic-singony CdS core particles that are subsequently overcoated with a layer of ZnSe in the presence of surfactant-ligands in a noncoordinating solvent. Studies of different growth regime of the ZnSe shell indicate that one approach to obtaining high emission efficiencies is through alloying the CdS/ZnSe interface with CdSe, which leads to the formation of an intermediate ZnCdSe layer with a graded composition. We perform theoretical modeling of these core/shell nanocrystals using effective mass approximation and applying first-order perturbation theory for treating both direct electron-hole coupling and the core/shell interface-polarization effects. Using this model we determine the range of geometrical parameters of the core/shell structures that result in a type-II localization regime. We further applied this model to evaluate the degree of electron-hole spatial separation (quantified in terms of the electron-hole overlap integral) based on measured emission wavelengths. We also discuss the potential applicability of these nanocrystals in lasing technologies and specifically the possibility of single-exciton optical gain in type-II nanostructures.     

Effect of layer thickness on the luminescence properties of ZnS/CdS/ZnS quantum dot quantum well

ZnS/CdS/ZnS quantum dot quantum well was prepared. The optical properties of ZnS/CdS/ZnS QDQW with different thickness of CdS well and ZnS shell were studied. Absorption spectra, emission spectra, and luminescence lifetimes were measured. The observed luminescence was assigned to the bulk donor-acceptor pair recombination of CdS and can be enhanced by increasing the thickness of the CdS well or coating an appropriate thickness of ZnS shell on the surface of the CdS well. The luminescence enhancement was caused by the relative reduce in the surface effect. The luminescence lifetimes were influenced strongly by the surface state.     

Structure of CdS/SiO2 Nanocomposites: Influence of the Precursor and Cd Concentration

The influence of using TMOS or TEOS in the formation of CdS quantum dots in a silica matrix have been studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The amount of Cd-S bonds have been monitored as a function of the nominal Cd concentration. The relative amount of CdS crystals depends on the precursor. The use of TEOS is not recommended because it gives a poor yield, especially for high Cd concentration. A discussion of the influence of CdS concentration in matrices from TMOS is carried out from structural models created from their pore volume distribution. The mean pore size becomes smaller and the size distribution more uniform when CdS concentration increases but the nanocrystals of low CdS nominal content present a more efficient quantum confinement.     

Catalytic activity of Pt-promoted CdS nanocrystals covered with a polymer in photoelectrochemical hydrogen production by water splitting

Photocatalytic properties of Pt-promoted CdS nanocrystals functionalized by the polymer coating were investigated. Deposition of Pt on the surface of the nanoparticles followed by polymer functionalization provides a high photocatalytic activity (1.45 mmol h^–1 mg^–1 at 0.93 W cm^–2) and apparent quantum yield (7%, λ = 445 nm) of the particles. Dependence of the rate of H₂ evolution on Pt loading is described by a curve with the maximum, whereas the quantum yield decreases with an increase in the light flux density. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocrystals increases more than 2 times with polymer coatining.     

半导体纳米粒子在反胶束中的合成及其与芘分子间的跨相电子转移

本文在AOT/异辛烷反胶束中合成了CdS和ZnS半导体纳米粒子。粒子的荧光量子产率随胶束水含量的增大而减小。这可以归结为水含量增大导致胶粒表面Cd²⁺或Zn²⁺离子浓度降低,因为这两种离子在胶粒表面富集有利于形成硫空位,从而增大光生电子-空穴对的发光复合。研究发现,Ag⁺离子可以有效猝灭CdS和ZnS纳米粒子的荧光发射,该猝灭过程可以用Ag⁺离子在胶束中的Poisson分布来描述。以溶解在有机相中的pyrene作电子给体,在光激发下可以向CdS粒子注入电子,而和ZnS粒子间没有电荷转移发生,这可以解释为两种半导体的导带边相对于pyrene激发态氧化电位所处的位置不同。Cu²⁺或Ag⁺离子在ZnS颗粒表面吸附,可以形成Cu_xZn_1-xS或Ag_2xZn_1-xS复合粒子,降低ZnS粒子的导带位置,从而使之能够接受来自pyrene激发态的电子。实验结果证实了这种论点。