CdSe/ZnS quantum dot intermittency in N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-(1,1′-biphenyl)-4,4′-diamine (TPD)

The influence of solvent refractive index on the photoluminescence decay of thick-shell gradient-alloyed colloidal quantum dots investigated in a wide range of delay times

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots have many potential optical applications, including quantum dot light-emitting diodes, single-photon sources, or biological luminescent markers. The optical properties of colloidal quantum dots can be affected by their dielectric environment. This study investigated the photoluminescence (PL) decay of thick-shell gradient-alloyed colloidal semiconductor quantum dots as a function of solvent refractive index. These measurements were conducted in a wide range of delay times to account for both the initial spontaneous decay of excitons and the delayed emission of excitons that has the form of a power law. It is shown that whereas the initial spontaneous PL decay is very sensitive to the refractive index of the solvent, the power-law delayed emission of excitons is not. Our results seem to exclude the possibility of carrier self-trapping in the considered solvents and suggest the existence of trap states inside the quantum dots. Finally, our data show that the average exciton lifetime significantly decreases as a function of the solvent refractive index. The change in exciton lifetime is qualitatively modeled and discussed.

Gamma induced changes in Makrofol/CdSe nanocomposite films

We applied an ex-situ casting procedure to prepare a nanocomposite (NCP) from Makrofol polycarbonate (PC) and CdSe nanoparticles. The CdSe nanoparticles were prepared by a thermolysis procedure in the presence of N2 gas flow. Rietveld refinement of x-ray data illustrated that the CdSe adopts a cubic zinc blend structure of 6.057 Å lattice parameter and 2 nm typical grain size. Samples from the prepared NCP were exposed to γ dosages (20 kGy–250 kGy). The modifications induced in the NCP films owing to γ dosages have been studied. The γ irradiation (50 kGy–250 kGy) causes crosslinks that reduce the optical bandgap from 4.15 eV to 3.81 eV, associated with an increase in dielectric parameters and refractive index. This is attributed to an increase in the mass fraction of the disordered regions as specified by x-ray diffraction. The PC–CdSe NCP was found to have a reaction to color modification which makes it suitable for saleable reproduction on a printing press.

Structural, Thermal, and Optical Studies of Gamma Irradiated Polyvinyl Alcohol-, Lignosulfonate-, and Palladium Nanocomposite Film

Nanocomposite (NC) films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), lignosulfonate (Lg), and nanosized palladium (Pd) were synthesized by ex-situ casting method. Samples from the synthesized PVA-Lg/Pd NC films were irradiated with 5–100 kGy γ doses. The effect of γ doses on the structural, thermal, and optical characteristics of the NC films were studied using different characterization techniques. The results indicated that the γ irradiation improves the decomposition temperature from 227 to 239 °C, signifying an increase in the thermal stability of the NC films. This was accompanied by a reduction of the melting temperature due to the increase of the amorphous phase. This can be attributed to the dominance of crosslinking. On the other hand, the refractive index increased from 2.21 to 2.32 while increasing the γ dose up to 100 kGy. This was associated with a reduction of the optical bandgap from 3.49 to 3.30 eV, which could be attributed to the increase in the amorphous phase as a result of crosslinking. This indicates an enhancement of the spreading of the NPs inside the blend matrix due to γ irradiation. This results in a more compacted construction of the PVA-Lg/Pd NC films. Furthermore, we used the Commission Internationale de E’Claire (CIE) method to estimate the change in color among the irradiated NC films and the pristine film. The PVA-Lg/Pd NC attained a significant color difference value greater than five, meaning permanent color changes.

Structural and Optical Characteristics of Laser Irradiated CdSe/PVA Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Cadmium selenide (CdSe) were fabricated by ex-situ casting technique. CdSe nanoparticles were prepared by thermolysis under the flow of nitrogen. Rietveld refinement of x-ray data showed that the prepared CdSe adapts cubic zinc blend structure with a lattice parameter 6.057 Å and a mean grain size of 2 nm. Samples from CdSe/PVA nanocomposite have been exposed to infrared (IR) laser fluences in the range 0–19.6 J/cm2. The effect of IR laser radiation on the structural and optical properties of CdSe/PVA has been investigated using XRD and UV-vis spectroscopy. UV/VIS absorption spectra confirm the formation of hybridized film CdSe/PVA nanocomposite with refractive index in the range of 1.4119–1.8621 (at 700 nm). Also, the laser radiation reduces the optical energy gap from 4.1 to 3.43 eV which could be attributed to the increase in structural disorder of the irradiated CdSe/PVA nanocomposites due to the formation of coordination reaction between OH of PVA and CdSe nanoparticles. This means that the laser radiation led to a more compact structure of CdSe/PVA nanocomposite and causes proper dispersion of CdSe nanoparticles in the PVA matrix. Further, the Commission Internationale de E'Claire (CIE units x, y and z) methodology was applied in this work for the description of colored samples. The color intensity ΔE, which is the color difference between the non irradiated sample and the irradiated ones, was increased from 11.40 to 30.57 with increasing the laser fluence up to 19.6 J/cm2.

Optical and Structural Characteristics of CdSe/PMMA Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and CdSe were fabricated by a casting technique. The result showed that CdSe@PMMA can be used in white and green light emitting devices. 0.01CdSe@PMMA exhibits monochromatic green color emission with the highest fluorescent quantum yield and lowest optical band gap value, while CdSe@PMMA with other ratios shows a multicolor emission. The band-edge emits in the vicinity of 280 – 296 nm but a more stable intensive green color emission at 553 nm is found for 0.01CdSe@PMMA. The change in Eg (4.18 to 4.4) eV values is due to the interaction between the PMMA polymer and CdSe.

Sizing Up Excitons in Core-Shell Quantum Dots via Shell-Dependent Photoluminescence Blinking

Semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) are now widely used across solar cell, display, and bioimaging technologies. While advances in multishell, alloyed, and multinary core-shell QD structures have led to improved light-harvesting and photoluminescence (PL) properties of these nanomaterials, the effects that QD-capping have on the exciton dynamics that govern PL instabilities such as blinking in single-QDs is not well understood. We report experimental measurements of shell-size-dependent absorption and PL intermittency in CdSe-CdS QDs that are consistent with a modified charge-tunnelling, self-trapping (CTST) description of the exciton dynamics in these nanocrystals. By introducing an effective, core-exciton size, which accounts for delocalization of charge carriers across the QD core and shell, we show that the CTST models both the shell-depth-dependent red-shift of the QD band gap and changes in the on/off-state switching statistics that we observe in single-QD PL intensity trajectories. Further analysis of CdSe-ZnS QDs, shows how differences in shell structure and integrity affect the QD band gap and PL blinking within the CTST framework.

Excitation Energy Dependence of the Photoluminescence Quantum Yields of Core and Core/Shell Quantum Dots

The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) is routinely monitored to track the chemical and physical properties within a sample or device incorporating the QDs. A dependence of the PL quantum yields (QYs) on the excitation energy could lead to erroneous conclusions but is commonly not considered. We summarize previous evidence and present results from two methodologies that confirm the possibility of a dependence of the PL QYs on the excitation energy. The data presented indicate that PL QYs of CdSe and CdSe/ZnS QDs suspended in toluene are highest for excitation just above the band gap, Eg, of each. The PL QYs decrease with increasing excitation energies up to 1 eV above Eg. The PL intensity decay profiles recorded for these samples at varying emission and excitation energies indicate that the changes in the PL QYs result from the nonradiative relaxation pathways sampled as the charge carriers relax down to the band edge.