Controllable Conversion of CdNCN Nanoparticles into Various Chalcogenide Nanostructures for Photo-driven Applications

Semiconductor nanocrystals of tunable shell/core configurations have great potential in photo-driven applications such as photoluminescence and photocatalysis, but few strategies realize a controllable synthesis with respect to both the size of the core and the shell with high crystallinity. Here, a new synthetic method based on cadmium cyanamide (CdNCN) nanoparticle anion exchange reactions was developed to access solid or hollow CdSe nanocrystals with tunable size and CdNCN@CdS heterostructures with modulated shell/core thickness. The gradual shift and narrow width of photoluminescence features demonstrate the high crystallinity and monodispersity of the resulting CdSe nanocrystals. In the CdNCN@CdS heterostructures, synergistic effects of the photocarrier separation is observed between the CdS shell and CdNCN core, which leads to great improvement in photocatalysis with optimized shell/core ratio.     

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.     

Semiconductor nanoparticle/polystyrene latex composite materials

Cadmium sulfide and cadmium selenide/cadmium sulfide core/shell nanoparticles stabilized with poly(cysteine acrylamide) have been bound to polystyrene (PS) latexes by three methods. First, anionic 5 nm diameter CdS particles were electrostatically attached to 130 nm surfactant-free cationic PS latexes to form stable dispersions when the amount of CdS particles was less than 10% of the amount required to form a monolayer on the surface of the PS particles or when the amount of CdS particles exceeded the amount required to form a monolayer on the PS particles. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed nanoparticles on the surface of the latex particles. Fluorescence spectra showed unchanged emission from the nanoparticles. Second, anionic, surfactant-free PS latexes were synthesized in the presence of CdS and CdSe/CdS nanoparticles. TEM showed monodisperse latex particles with trapped nanoparticles. Third, surfactant-stabilized latexes were synthesized by copolymerization of styrene with vinylbenzyl(trimethyl)ammonium chloride electrostatically bound to the CdSe/CdS nanoparticle surface. Brownian motion of the submicroscopic composite particles in water was detected by fluorescence microscopy.     

Photoassisted synthesis of CdSe and core-shell CdSe/CdS quantum dots

This paper describes the synthesis of core-shell CdSe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution by a simple photoassisted method. CdSe was prepared from cadmium nitrate and 1,1-dimethylselenourea precursors under illumination for up to 3 h using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm. The effects that the temperature and the laser irradiation process have on the synthesis of CdSe were monitored by a series of experiments using the precursors at a Cd:Se concentration ratio of 4. Upon increasing the temperature (80-140 degrees C), the size of the CdSe QDs increases and the time required for reaching a maximum photoluminescence (PL) is shortened. Although the as-prepared CdSe QDs possess greater quantum yields (up to 0.072%) compared to those obtained by microwave heating (0.016%), they still fluoresce only weakly. After passivation of CdSe (prepared at 80 degrees C) by CdS using thioacetamide as the S source (Se:S concentration ratio of 1) at 80 degrees C for 24 h, the quantum yield of the core-shell CdSe/CdS QDs at 603 nm is 2.4%. Under UV irradiation of CdSe/CdS for 24 h using a 100-W Hg-Xe lamp, the maximum quantum yield of the stable QDs is 60% at 589 nm. A small bandwidth (W1/2 < 35 nm) indicates the narrow size distribution of the as-prepared core-shell CdSe/CdS QDs. This simple photoassisted method also allows the preparation of differently sized (3.7-6.3-nm diameters) core-shell CdSe/CdS QDs that emit in a wide range (from green to red) when excited at 480 nm.     

Solution-based II-VI core/shell nanowire heterostructures

We demonstrate the solution-phase synthesis of CdS/CdSe, CdSe/CdS, and CdSe/ZnTe core/shell nanowires (NWs). On the basis of bulk band offsets, type-I and type-II heterostructures are made, contributing to the further development of low-dimensional heteroassemblies using solution-phase chemistry. Core/shell wires are prepared by slowly introducing shell precursors into a solution of premade core NWs dispersed in a noncoordinating solvent at moderate temperatures (215-250 degrees C). Resulting heterostructures are characterized through low- and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. From these experiments, initial shell growth appears to occur through either Stranski-Krastanov or Volmer-Weber island growth. However, beyond a critical shell thickness, nucleation of randomly oriented nanocrystals results in a polycrystalline coat. In cases where overcoating has been achieved, corresponding elemental analyses show spatially varying compositions along the NW radial direction in agreement with expected element ratios. Electronic interactions between the core and shell were subsequently probed through optical studies involving UV-vis extinction spectroscopy, photoluminescence experiments, and transient differential absorption spectroscopy. In particular, transient differential absorption studies reveal unexpected shell-induced changes in core NW Auger kinetics at high carrier densities. Previously seen three-carrier Auger kinetics in CdS (bimolecular in CdSe) NWs were suppressed by the presence of a CdSe (CdS) shell. These observations suggest the ability to influence NW optical/electrical properties by coating them with a surrounding shell, a method which could be important for future NW optical studies as well as for NW-based applications.     

Fabrication and photoluminescent properties of heteroepitaxial ZnO/Zn0.8Mg0.2O coaxial nanorod heterostructures

ZnO/Zn0.8Mg0.2O coaxial nanorod heterostructures were prepared by employing catalyst-free metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy, and their structural and photoluminescent (PL) properties were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and temperature-dependent PL spectroscopy. TEM images show that ZnO/Zn0.8Mg0.2O layers were epitaxially grown on the entire surfaces of the ZnO nanorods and the ZnO nanorod diameters as a core material were as small as 9 +/- 2 nm. A dominant PL peak was observed at 3.316 eV, from room-temperature PL spectra of ZnO/Zn0.8Mg0.2O coaxial nanorod heterostructures with ZnO core diameters of 9 nm, indicating a PL blue shift of 30 meV, which resulted from a quantum confinement effect along the radial direction in ZnO nanorods. Furthermore, temperature-dependent PL properties of the coaxial nanorod heterostructures were investigated, showing much higher PL intensity for the coaxial nanorod heterostructures than that of bare ZnO nanorods at room temperature. The origin of the enhanced PL intensity and reduced thermal quenching for the coaxial nanorod heterostructures is also discussed.     

水溶性CdSe/CdS量子点的合成及其与牛血清蛋白的共轭作用

用巯基乙酸(TGA)作为稳定剂，合成了水溶性的CdSe和核壳结构的CdSe/CdS半导体量子点。吸收光谱和荧光光谱研究表明，核壳结构的CdSe/CdS半导体量子点比单一的CdSe量子点具有更优异的发光特性。用TEM、电子衍射(ED)和XPS分别表征了CdSe和CdSe/CdS纳米微粒的结构、形貌及分散性。红外光谱和核磁共振谱证实了巯基乙酸分子中的硫原子和氧原子与纳米微粒表面的金属离子发生了配位作用。在pH值为7.4的条件下，将合成的CdSe和CdSe/CdS量子点直接与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)相互作用。实验发现，两种量子点均对BSA的荧光产生较强的静态猝灭作用；而BSA对两种量子点的荧光则具有显著的荧光增敏作用，存在BSA时CdSe/CdS量子点的荧光增强是不存在BSA时体系荧光强度的3倍。     

Spontaneous formation of wurzite-CdS/zinc blende-CdTe heterodimers through a partial anion exchange reaction

Ion exchange of ionic semiconductor nanoparticles (NPs) is a facile method for the synthesis of type-II semiconductor heterostructured NPs with staggered alignment of band edges for photoelectric applications. Through consideration of the crystallographic orientation and strain at the heterointerface, well-designed heterostructures can be constructed through ion exchange reactions. Here we report the selective synthesis of anisotropically phase-segregated cadmium sulfide (CdS)/ cadmium telluride (CdTe) heterodimers via a novel anion exchange reaction of CdS NPs with an organic telluride precursor. The wurtzite-CdS/zinc blende-CdTe heterodimers in this study resulted from spontaneous phase segregation induced by the differences in the crystal structures of the two phases, accompanying a centrosymmetry breaking of the spherical CdS NPs. The CdS/CdTe heterodimers exhibited photoinduced spatial charge separation because of their staggered band-edge alignment.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of ultralong and single-crystalline Cd(OH)2 nanowires using alkali salts as mineralizers

Ultralong and single-crystalline Cd(OH)(2) nanowires were fabricated by a hydrothermal method using alkali salts as mineralizers. The morphology and size of the final products strongly depend on the effects of the alkali salts (e.g., KCl, KNO(3), and K(2)SO(4) or NaCl, NaNO(3), and Na(2)SO(4)). When the salt is absent, only nanoparticles are observed in TEM images of the products. The 1D nanostructure growth method presented herein offers an excellent tool for the design of other advanced materials with anisotropic properties. In addition, the Cd(OH)(2) nanowires might act as a template or precursor that is potentially converted into 1D cadmium oxide through dehydration or into 1D nanostructures of other functional materials (e.g., CdS, CdSe).     

水溶性的CdSe/CdS/ZnS量子点的合成及表征

用L-半胱氨酸盐(Cys)作为稳定剂,合成了水溶性的双壳结构的CdSe/CdS/ZnS半导体量子点。吸收光谱和荧光光谱结果表明,双壳结构的CdSe/CdS/ZnS纳米微粒比单一的CdSe核纳米粒子和单核壳结构的CdSe/CdS纳米粒子具有更优异的发光特性。用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、ED、XRD、XPS和FTIR等方法对CdSe核和双壳层的CdSe/CdS/ZnS纳米微粒的结构、分散性及形貌分别进行了表征。     

Synthesis of hybrid CdS-Au colloidal nanostructures

We explore the growth mechanism of gold nanocrystals onto preformed cadmium sulfide nanorods to form hybrid metal nanocrystal/semiconductor nanorod colloids. By manipulating the growth conditions, it is possible to obtain nanostructures exhibiting Au nanocrystal growth at only one nanorod tip, at both tips, or at multiple locations along the nanorod surface. Under anaerobic conditions, Au growth occurs only at one tip of the nanorods, producing asymmetric structures. In contrast, the presence of oxygen and trace amounts of water during the reaction promotes etching of the nanorod surface, providing additional sites for metal deposition. Three growth stages are observed when Au growth is performed under air: (1) Au nanocrystal formation at both nanorod tips, (2) growth onto defect sites on the nanorod surface, and finally (3) a ripening process in which one nanocrystal tip grows at the expense of the other particles present on the nanorod. Analysis of the hybrid nanostructures by high-resolution TEM shows that there is no preferred orientation between the Au nanocrystal and the CdS nanorod, indicating that growth is nonepitaxial. The optical signatures of the nanocrystals and the nanorods (i.e., the surface plasmon and first exciton transition peaks, respectively) are spectrally distinct, allowing the different stages of the growth process to be easily monitored. The initial CdS nanorods exhibit band gap and trap state emission, both of which are quenched during Au growth.     

A novel ultrasound-assisted approach to the synthesis of CdSe and CdS nanoparticles

Hexagonal CdSe and hexagonal CdS nanoparticles have been prepared using Cd(Ac)₂ and less hazardous elemental Se or S as precursors, respectively, with the aid of ultrasound irradiation under an atmosphere of H₂/Ar (5/95, V/V). The products consist of 7-10 nm nanocrystallites which aggregated in the form of polydispersive nanoclusters with sizes in the range 30-40 nm in the case of CdSe, and near monodispersive nanoclusters with a mean size of about 40 nm in the case of CdS. X-ray diffraction, high-resolution TEM and SAED patterns (selected area electron diffraction patterns) show that the as-prepared particles are well crystallized. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements further confirm the formation of CdSe and CdS. Diffuse reflection spectra indicate that both the CdSe and the CdS nanocryslallites are direct band-gap semiconductors with band-gap values of about 1.83 and 2.62 eV, respectively. Control experiments demonstrate that the hydrogen is the reducing agent, and the extreme high temperature induced by the collapse of the bubble accelerates the reduction of elemental Se or S by hydrogen. An ultrasound assisted in situ reduction/combination mechanism is proposed.     

Different Mixing Types CdSe‐CdS Nanocomposites

The optical properties of 2 mixing types of CdS‐CdSe nanoparticles (i.e., coprecipitated CdS‐CdSe nanoparticles, CdS‐coated CdSe (CdSe/CdS)) were studied. Results indicated that the co‐precipitated nanoparticles kept the similar optical properties of both CdS and CdSe's, while the CdS/CdSe core‐shell structure showed totally different optical properties from the simple components. We paid special attention to the core/shell structure, as the core‐shell structure showed a better passivating effect. Therefore, the XRD and TEM were tested on the core‐shell structure. XRD results showed that the diffraction patterns of core‐shell structure were roughly the same as their simple components. And the TEM indicated the core‐shell structure had a uniform dispersion in the solution.     

Polymorphic transitions in CdS and CdSe as probed by dilatometry

Polymorphic transitions in CdS and CdSe were studied on a dilatometric setup that comprised an evacuated quartz ampoule containing a sample, in which a cadmium vapor pressure was created to keep the sample from subliming at high temperatures. Measurements were carried out at temperatures in the range 100–1050°C. The test samples were found to experience jumpwise changes in their lengths during heating (at 270 and 760°C in CdS and at 690 and 980°C in CdSe). Cooling induced similar changes (a jumpwise shortening of the length of a sample). Thus, a clear-cut and well reproducible hysteresis was observed in heating-cooling measurement sets. Topics of CdS and CdSe technology are discussed in terms of polymorphic transitions.     

Water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/CdS nanocrystals: a greener synthetic route

We report a new green synthetic route of CdSe and core-shell CdSe/CdS nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous solutions. This route is performed under water-bath temperature, using Se powder as a selenium source to prepare CdSe NPs, and H(2)S generated by the reaction of Na(2)SH(2)SO(4) as a sulfur source to synthesize core-shell CdSe/CdS NPs at 25-35 degrees C. The synthesis time of every step is only 20 min. After illumination with ambient natural light, photoluminescence (PL) intensities of CdSe NPs enhanced up to 100 times. The core-shell CdSe/CdS NPs have stronger photoactive luminescence with quantum yields over 20%. The obtained CdSe NPs exhibit a favorable narrow PL band (FWHM: 50-37 nm) with increasing molar ratio of Cd/Se from 4:1 to 10:1 at pH 9.1 in the crude solution, whereas PL band of corresponding CdSe/CdS NPs is slightly narrower. The emission maxima of nanocrystals can be tuned in a wider range from 492 to 592 nm in water by changing synthesis temperature of CdSe core than those reported previously. The resulting new route is of particular interest as it uses readily-available reagents and simple equipment to synthesize high-quality water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/CdS nanocrystals.     

Coaxially gated in-wire thin-film transistors made by template assembly

Nanowire field effect transistors were prepared by a wet chemical template replication method using anodic aluminum oxide membranes. The membrane pores were first lined with a thin SiO2 layer by the surface sol-gel method. Au, CdS (or CdSe), and Au wire segments were then sequentially electrodeposited within the pores, and the resulting nanowires were released by dissolution of the membrane. Electrofluidic alignment of these nanowires between source and drain leads and evaporation of gold over the central CdS (CdSe) stripe affords a "wrap-around gate" structure. At VDS = -2 V, the Au/CdS/Au devices had an ON/OFF current ratio of 103, a threshold voltage of 2.4 V, and a subthreshold slope of 2.2 V/decade. A 3-fold decrease in the subthreshold slope relative to that of planar nanocrystalline CdSe devices can be attributed to coaxial gating. The control of dimensions afforded by template synthesis should make it possible to reduce the gate dielectric thickness, channel length, and diameter of the semiconductor segment to sublithographic dimensions while retaining the simplicity of the wet chemical synthetic method.     

Performance enhancement of CdS nanorod arrays/P3HT hybrid solar cells via N719 dye interface modification

Improved hybrid solar cells consisting of vertical aligned cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanorod arrays and interpenetrating polythiophene (P3HT) have been achieved via modification of CdS nanorod surface by using conjugated N719 dye. The complete infiltration of P3HT between CdS nanorods interspacing was verified by scanning electron microscopy. By employing absorption and photoluminescence spectra, and current-voltage characterization the interaction between N719 molecules and CdS nanorods/P3HT interface was explored, and the role of N719 dye on the improvement of device performance was discussed.     

Aqueous synthesis of CdSe and CdSe/CdS quantum dots with controllable introduction of Se and S sources

A new and convenient route is developed to synthesize CdSe and core-shell CdSe/CdS quantum dots(QDs) in aqueous solution.The gaseous precursors,H2Se and H2S,generated on-line by reducing SeO 3 2à with NaBH 4 and the reaction between Na 2 S and diluted H2SO 4,are used to form high-quality CdSe and CdSe/CdS QDs,respectively.The synthesized water-soluble CdSe and CdSe/CdS QDs possess high quantum yield(3% and 20%) and narrow full-width-at-half-maximum(43 nm and 38 nm).The synthesis process is easily reproducible with simple apparatus and low-toxic chemicals,and can be readily extended to the large-scale aqueous synthesis of QDs.     

P3HT修饰一维有序壳核式CdS/ZnO纳米棒阵列复合膜的光电化学性能

采用电化学方法在铟锡氧化物(ITO)导电玻璃上制备了高度有序的ZnO纳米棒阵列, 在ZnO纳米棒阵列上先后电化学沉积CdS纳米晶膜及聚3-己基噻吩(P3HT)薄膜得到P3HT修饰的一维有序壳核式CdS/ZnO纳米阵列结构, 并通过扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、能量散射X射线(EDX)等表征手段证实了该结构的形成. 以此纳米结构薄膜为光阳极组装新型半导体敏化太阳电池, 研究了CdS纳米晶膜的厚度和P3HT薄膜的沉积对电池光伏性能的影响, 初步探讨了电荷在电池结构中的传输机理, 结果表明, CdS纳米晶膜和P3HT薄膜的沉积有效地拓宽了光阳极的光吸收范围, 实验中电池的光电转换效率最高达到1.08%.     

CdSe/CdS/SiO2复合纳米球的制备及发光性能

采用两相法合成了CdSe/CdS核-壳结构的量子点, 用氨水催化水解正硅酸乙酯制得复合结构的CdSe/CdS/SiO₂发光纳米球. 通过对量子点用量、氨水用量、反应时间及溶剂比例等实验条件的调节, 得到了单分散性较好, 尺寸在23~145 nm的复合发光纳米球. 利用紫外-可见吸收光谱和荧光发射光谱对其发光性能进行了研究, 同时利用透射电镜(TEM)观察复合纳米球的形貌. 结果表明, 复合发光纳米球样品的最高荧光量子产率可达8%.