In situ ligand exchange of thiol-capped CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots at growth stage without affecting luminescent characteristics

An aliphatic thiol ligand of CuInS(2)/ZnS core/shell quantum dots is replaced with a hydroxyl-terminated thiol ligand by utilizing 'on-off state' of ligands during growth stage of the quantum dots. After the ligand-exchange, negligible differences were observed on both photoluminescence spectrum and luminescent quantum efficiency. The reason for the high retention of luminescent efficiency comes from no local agglomeration and no surface deterioration of QDs. It is also observed that 70% of initial ligands are exchanged by the replacing ligand, determined by FT-IR and (1)H NMR. The proposed method provides the quantum dots with an excellent dispersibility in polar solvents, supported by identical luminescence decay characteristics of the QDs.     

Effect of the thiol-thiolate equilibrium on the photophysical properties of aqueous CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal quantum dots

We study the effect of thiols on the emission efficiency of aqueous CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs). We observe that the impact of thiol addition on emission quantum yields (QYs) is time-, concentration-, and pH-dependent. Further, we use a combination of time-resolved spectroscopic methods to determine the mechanism by which thiol addition can cause either increases or decreases in QYs. Specifically, through transient absorption measurements, we show that thiol addition can improve passivation of electron traps, increasing QYs at low thiol concentrations. Further, using nanosecond photoluminescence (PL), we observe that at higher thiol concentrations, hole traps are introduced that reduce PL QYs. Last, through a combination of pH-dependence and control studies (e.g., addition of 2-methyl thioethanol to an aqueous NQD solution and addition of dodecanethiol to a hexane NQD solution), we demonstrate that it is the ability of thiols in aqueous solution to generate thiolate that is the source of both favorable and adverse QY changes. Our results contribute to the understanding of the role of surface ligands, which is critical to the design of stable, high-quantum-yield, nonblinking NQDs.     

Oligomeric ligands for luminescent and stable nanocrystal quantum dots

We report a new family of oligomeric alkyl phosphine ligands for nanocrystal quantum dots. These oligomeric phosphines show effective binding affinity to quantum dot surfaces. They form thin and secure organic shells that stabilize quantum dots in diverse environments including serum and polymer matrices. They maintain the initial as-grown photoluminescence quantum yield of the quantum dots and enable homogeneous incorporation into various matrices. They present a chemically flexible structure that can be used for further chemistry, such as cross-linking, copolymerization, and conjugation to biomolecules.     

Interplay between Auger and ionization processes in nanocrystal quantum dots

We study the interplay between Auger effects and ionization processes in the limit of strong electronic confinement in core/shell CdSe/ZnS semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots. Spectrally resolved fluorescence decay measurements reveal a monotonic increase of the photoluminescence decay rate on excitation density. Our results suggest that Auger recombination accelerates ionization processes that lead to the occupation of dark, nonemissive nanocrystal states. A model is proposed in the quantized Auger regime describing these experimental observations and providing an estimate of the Auger assisted ionization rates.     

蓝光钙钛矿发光二极管:机遇与挑战

金属卤化钙钛矿由于具有优异的光电性能(如:高电子/空穴迁移率,高荧光量子产率,高色纯度,以及光色可调性等),成为应用于发光二极管(LED)的理想材料。近年来,钙钛矿LED的发展十分迅速,红光和绿光钙钛矿LED的外量子效率(EQE)均已超过20%。然而,蓝光(尤其是深蓝光)钙钛矿LED的EQE以及稳定性依然相对落后,这严重制约了钙钛矿LED在高性能、广色域显示领域和高显色指数白光照明领域的应用。因此,总结现阶段蓝光钙钛矿LED的发展,并剖析其机遇与挑战,对未来蓝光甚至整个钙钛矿LED领域的发展至关重要。本文将蓝光钙钛矿LED根据光色细分为天蓝光、纯蓝光、深蓝光三大部分进行总结,回顾了三种LED器件的发展历程,并详细阐述了现阶段实现他们的主要手段以及相关的基础原理,最后分析了它们各自的问题并提出了相应的解决思路。     

In Situ Ligand Bonding Management of CsPbI3 Perovskite Quantum Dots Enables High-Performance Photovoltaics and Red Light-Emitting Diodes

To fine-tune surface ligands towards high-performance devices, we developed an in situ passivation process for all-inorganic cesium lead iodide (CsPbI₃) perovskite quantum dots (QDs) by using a bifunctional ligand, L-phenylalanine (L-PHE). Through the addition of this ligand into the precursor solution during synthesis, the in situ treated CsPbI₃ QDs display significantly reduced surface states, increased vacancy formation energy, higher photoluminescence quantum yields, and much improved stability. Consequently, the L-PHE passivated CsPbI₃ QDs enabled the realization of QD solar cells with an optimal efficiency of 14.62 % and red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a highest external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 10.21 %, respectively, demonstrating the great potential of ligand bonding management in improving the optoelectronic properties of solution-processed perovskite QDs.     

Size and ligand effects on the electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical responses of CdSe nanocrystals

The electrochemical properties of CdSe quantum dots with electrochemically inactive surface ligands (TOPO) have been investigated in comparison with the analogous nanocrystals containing electrochemically active oligoaniline ligands. The TOPO-capped nanocrystals have been studied in a wide size range (from 3 to 6.5 nm) with the goal to amplify the influence of the quantum confinement effect on the electrochemical response. The determined HOMO and LUMO levels have been found in good agreement with the ones obtained from photoluminescence studies and those predicted theoretically. Ligand exchange with aniline tetramer significantly influences the voltammetric peaks associated with the HOMO oxidation and the LUMO reduction of the quantum dots, which are shifted to higher and lower potentials, respectively. These shifts are interpreted in terms of the positive ligand charging which precedes the oxidation of the nanocrystals and the insulating nature of the ligand in the case of the nanocrystal reduction. The ligand-nanocrystal interactions have also been studied by UV-Vis-NIR and Raman spectroelectrochemistry in comparison with a specially prepared model compound which, apart from the anchoring function is identical to the grafted oligoaniline ligand. Both spectroelectrochemical techniques clearly indicate the same nature of the oxidation/reduction pathway for both the model compound and the grafted ligand. The influence of the grafting is manifested by a shift in the onset of the ligand oxidation as compared to the case of the "free" model compound. Since both components (ligands and nanocrystals) mutually influence their electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties, the newly developed system can be considered as a true molecular hybrid. Such hybrids are of interest because the potential zone of the ligand electroactivity is well separated from that of the nanocrystals and, as a result, the organic part can be electrochemically switched between the semiconducting and the conducting states with no change in the oxidation state of the nanocrystal. The newly developed system offers therefore the possibility of an electrical addressing of individual nanocrystals via the conducting ligands.     

水热法合成AgInS2/ZnS核/壳结构量子点及其荧光性能

以硫脲为硫源,采用谷胱甘肽(GSH)和柠檬酸钠(SC)为配体,通过水热法制备了水溶性AgInS2/ZnS(AIS/ZnS)核/壳结构量子点。系统研究了反应温度和配体用量对量子点的合成及其荧光性能的影响。采用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、紫外可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)和光致发光光谱(PL)分别对量子点的物相、形貌和光学性能进行了表征,并考察了量子点的稳定性。实验结果表明,随着反应温度从70℃升高至90℃,促进了ZnS壳层的形成,有效地钝化了量子点的表面缺陷,获得的AIS/ZnS核/壳量子点的发光强度显著提高,发光峰位从600 nm蓝移至580 nm。配体的添加可以有效地平衡Zn^2+的化学反应活性,减缓ZnS壳层的生长,抑制核壳界面缺陷的形成,还能消除量子点的表面态,当nGSH/nZn^2+=2.0,nSC/nZn^2+=2.5时,AIS/ZnS量子点的荧光性能最佳。此外,AIS/ZnS核/壳结构量子点还具有优异的光学稳定性。     

Modified ligand-exchange for efficient solubilization of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in water: a procedure guided by computational studies

One of the methods to render CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots(QDots) water-soluble is to functionalize the surface with carboxylate groups by the use of heterobifunctional ligands such as 3-mercaptopropionic acid, where the thiolic end binds onto the outer ZnS shell. However, currently available ligand-exchange procedures starting with TOPO-capped quantum dots often lead to significant loss of quantum yields and poor stability of the colloids in water. As part of our efforts to overcome these problems, we used computational methods to understand the nature of binding between alkyl thiols and ZnS wurtzite surfaces. Guided by the computational results, we modified the ligand-exchange method and increased the reactivity of 3-mercaptopropionic acid toward the ZnS surface in chloroform. The functionlization reaction required only mild reaction conditions and led to QDot nanoparticles that were individually dispersed in water with good colloidal stability. Importantly, the photoluminescence performance of the QDots was highly preserved.     

One-pot synthesis, encapsulation, and solubilization of size-tuned quantum dots with amphiphilic multidentate ligands

We report one-pot synthesis, encapsulation, and solubilization of high-quality quantum dots (QDs) based on the use of amphiphilic and multidentate polymer ligands. In this "all-in-one" procedure, the resulting QDs are first capped by the multidentate ligand and are then spontaneously encapsulated and solubilized by a second layer of the same multidentate polymer upon exposure to water. In addition to providing better control of nanocrystal nucleation and growth kinetics (including resistance to Ostwald ripening), this procedure allows for in situ growth of an inorganic passivating shell on the nanocrystal core, enabling one-pot synthesis of both type-I and type-II core-shell QDs with tunable light emission from visible to near-infrared wavelengths.     

pH-sensitive Photoluminescence of CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS Quantum Dots in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells

The photoluminescence of mercaptoacetic acid (MAA)-capped CdSe/ZnSe/ZnS semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) in SKOV-3 human ovarian cancer cells is pH-dependent, suggesting applications in which QDs serve as intracellular pH sensors. In both fixed and living cells the fluorescence intensity of intracellular MAA-capped QDs (MAA QDs) increases monotonically with increasing pH. The electrophoretic mobility of MAA QDs also increases with pH, indicating an association between surface charging and fluorescence emission. MAA dissociates from the ZnS outer shell at low pH, resulting in aggregation and loss of solubility, and this may also contribute to the MAA QD fluorescence changes observed in the intracellular environment.     

Design and evaluation of polymer matrices for the encapsulation of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in photonic nanocomposite thin films

A systematic approach and a new scheme for the evaluation of the as–is encapsulation of CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots into polymer matrices is proposed, aiming to the implementation of thin film photonic integrated structures. Work focuses on quantum dots capped by hexadecylamine and trioctylphosphine oxide with no ligand exchange or other intermediate processing steps involved. The polymers studied include poly(methyl–methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene and acrylic polymers incorporating long alkyl chains, which are expected to promote the compatibility of the quantum dot ligands to that of the polymer chains. In this approach, the variation of photoluminescence properties of the nanocomposite thin films is measured versus increased concentration of the quantum dots, so as to evaluate the suitability of each polymer structure as an efficient host. Furthermore, the refractive index of the quantum dots/polymer nanocomposite thin films are also estimated using white light reflectance spectroscopy data, as appropriate for the integration of photonic devices. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 552–560     

Photoluminescence of cadmium selenide quantum dots in polymer solutions

The effect of solvent on the photoluminescence of cadmium selenide quantum dots stabilized by oleic acid is examined with the example of two organic solvents: toluene and THF. It is found that THF favors desorption of ligands and formation of surface defects to a greater extent than toluene; as a result, the maximum of the photoluminescence band shifts to the red spectral region and its intensity decreases. The addition of polymers to the solution of quantum dots causes changes in the efficiency of photoluminescence and in the kinetics of its quenching. In the range of low concentrations (≤2 wt %) of quantum dots in polymer solutions, the intensity of luminescence first grows and then passes through a maximum and decreases. This effect may be explained both by the increasing number of surface defects and by quenching via energy transfer to polymers, especially in the case of polymers containing aromatic groups.     

The Growth of Co:ZnO/ZnO Core/Shell Colloidal Quantum Dots: Changes in Nanocrystal Size,Concentration and Dopant Coordination

We report a synthesis route for the growth of Co:ZnO/ZnO core/shell quantum dots. This procedure consists of successive steps, comprising the addition of diluted precursor salt solutions, and heat treatment at 50 °C. By deriving a relation between the extinction coefficient at 250 nm and the nanocrystal diameter, we are able to monitor changes in quantum dot concentration during shell growth. We found that a mechanism based on the nucleation of new particles after salt addition and subsequent Ostwald ripening during the heat treatment is responsible for the shell growth. Based on ligand‐field absorption spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the Co²⁺ ions adsorbed at the surface of Co:ZnO quantum dots are incorporated inside the ZnO shells. Finally, EPR spectroscopy indicates that the surface‐adsorbed Co²⁺ ions can be incorporated as substitutional as well as interstitial Co²⁺ ions.     

Light-emitting diodes with semiconductor nanocrystals

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are promising luminophores for creating a new generation of electroluminescence devices. Research on semiconductor nanocrystal based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has made remarkable advances in just one decade: the external quantum efficiency has improved by over two orders of magnitude and highly saturated color emission is now the norm. Although the device efficiencies are still more than an order of magnitude lower than those of the purely organic LEDs there are potential advantages associated with nanocrystal-based devices, such as a spectrally pure emission color, which will certainly merit future research. Further developments of nanocrystal-based LEDs will be improving material stability, understanding and controlling chemical and physical phenomena at the interfaces, and optimizing charge injection and charge transport.     

基于碳量子点的光电器件应用新进展

碳量子点(CQDs)作为一种新型荧光碳纳米材料,由于其较高的电子迁移率、较长的热电子寿命、极快的电子取出速度,可调的带隙宽度、较强的稳态荧光等独特的光电性质和可溶液加工、成本低廉的特点,使得CQDs在光电器件领域具有广阔的应用前景,近年来受到人们的广泛关注,重要的研究成果不断涌现。本文首先简要介绍了CQDs的合成方法、化学结构及其光电性质,然后总结了CQDs在发光二极管(LEDs)、太阳能电池(SCs)和光电探测器(PDs)等光电器件领域的研究进展,最后对CQDs的发展方向进行了展望。     

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence of water-soluble quantum dots for a bioprobe

The photoluminescence of water-soluble CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots is found to be temperature-dependent: as temperature arising from 280 K to 351 K, the photoluminescence declines with emission peak shifting towards the red at a rate of ∼0.11 nm K⁻¹. And the studies show that the photoluminescence of water-soluble CdSe/ZnS quantum dots with core capped by a thinner ZnS shell is more sensitive to temperature than that of ones with core capped by a thicker one. That is, with 50% decrement of the quantum yield the temperature of the former need to arise from 280 K to 295 K, while the latter requires much higher temperature (315.6 K), which means that the integrality of shell coverage is a very important factor on temperature-sensitivity to for the photoluminescence of water-soluble CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. Moreover, it is found that the water-soluble CdSe quantum dots with different core sizes, whose cores are capped by thicker ZnS shells, possess almost the same sensitivity to the temperature. All of the studies about photoluminescence temperature-dependence of water-soluble CdSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots show an indispensable proof for their applications in life science.     

POLY（N-ISOPROPYL ACRYLAMIDE） MICROGEL DOPED WITH LUMINESCENT PBS QUANTUM DOTS

Thiol-stabilized PbS quantum dots （QDs） with dimensions 3-5 nm capped with a mixture of 1-thioglycerol/dithioglycerol （TGL/DTG） were coUoidally prepared at room temperature. Room temperature photoluminescence quantum efficiency of freshly prepared PbS QDs （7%-11%） remained higher than 5% upon aging for three weeks when the nanocrystals （NCs） were stored in an ice-bath in the dark, and higher than 5%for at least five weeks when extra DTG ligands were introduced into the nanocrystal solution followed by stirring every two weeks. Poly（N-isopropyl acrylamide） （PNIPAM） microgels were produced via precipitation polymerization with dimensions of ca. 230 nm and polydispersity of 3-5%. Incorporation of PbS QDs into PNIPAM microgels indicated that PbS can be incorporated into the interior of microgel particles and not at the microgel interface. The combination of reasonable room temperature quantum efficiency and strong, efficient luminescence covering the 1.3-1.55 μm telecommunication window makes these nanoparticles promising materials in optical devices and telecommunications.