Semiconducting thin films of zinc selenide quantum dots

Anomalous thickness-dependent optical energy gap of ALD-grown ultra-thin CuO films

Usually an inverse square relation between the optical energy gap and the size of crystallites is observed for semiconducting materials due to the strong quantum localization effect. Coulomb attraction that may lead to a proportional dependence is often ignored or considered less important to the optical energy gap when the crystallite size or the thickness of a thin film changes. Here we report a proportional dependence between the optical energy gap and the thickness of ALD-grown CuO thin films due to a strong Coulomb attraction. The ultrathin films deposited in the thickness range of 9-81 nm show a p-type semiconducting behavior when analyzed by Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity measurements. The indirect optical energy gap nature of the films is verified from UV-vis spectrophotometric measurements. A progressive increase in the indirect optical energy gap from 1.06 to 1.24 eV is observed with the increase in the thickness of the films. The data are analyzed in the presence of Coulomb attractions using the Brus model. The optical energy gap when plotted against the cubic root of the thickness of the films shows a linear dependence.

Optical sensing of triethylamine using CdSe aerogels

The photoluminescence (PL) response of highly porous CdSe aerogels to triethylamine (TEA) is investigated and compared to results from prior studies on single crystals and nanoparticle-polymer composites. As-prepared CdSe aerogels show significant and reversible enhancement of luminescence intensity upon exposure to TEA relative to the intensity in pure argon carrier gas. The enhancement in the PL response is dependent on the concentration and linear over the range of TEA concentration studied (4.7 x 10(3)-75 x 10(3) ppm). The sensing response of previously tested samples exhibits saturation behavior that is modeled using Langmuir adsorption isotherms, yielding adsorption equilibrium constants in the range 300-380 atm( - 1). The response is sensitively affected by the surface characteristics of the aerogel; when the wet gels are treated with pyridine prior to aerogel formation, the response to TEA is diminished, and when as-prepared aerogels are heated in a vacuum, no subsequent response is observed. Deactivation is attributed to an increase in surface oxide (SeO(2)) and decrease in surface Cd(2 + ) Lewis acid sites. Sensing runs of approximately one hour have little impact on the morphology or crystallinity of the aerogels, but do result in partial removal of residual thiolate ligands left over from the gelation process.

Energy level splitting of CdS nanocrystals

CdS nanocrystals have been fabricated using mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as the stabilizing agent and Na(2)S as a sulfur source. The structure and morphology of the CdS nanocrystals have been measured by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Energy level splitting was observed in the UV-VIS optical absorption spectrum of small CdS nanocrystals; the main absorption peak splits into three separate peaks, which are considered to be three discrete sub-energy levels of the 1S electronic state of the CdS nanocrystals.

Langmuir-Blodgett thin films of quantum dots: synthesis, surface modification, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) studies

We describe herein studies on as-prepared hydrophobic ZnS-CdSe quantum dots (QDs) at the air-water interface. Surface pressure-area (pi-A) isotherms have been used to study the monolayer behavior. Uniform, lamellar multilayer thin films of QDs were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. The role of two different surfactant systems commonly employed in the synthesis of these QDs (trioctylphosphine oxide-octadecylamine (TOPO-ODA) system and trioctylphosphine oxide-tetradecylphosphonic acid (TOPO-TDPA) system) on the monolayer behavior and the quality of thin films produced has been investigated. The thin films were characterized by quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM), contact angle measurements, fluorescence spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). These QD films were further modified by an amphiphilic polymer, poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-tetradecene) (PMA). The hydrophobic interaction between the polymers and the surfactants attached to the QDs drove the self-assembly process. The carboxylic acid functional groups in the polymer were also used to immobilize avidin. We have demonstrated a proof of concept for the biosensing strategy wherein the avidin-coated QD films attracted biotinylated gold nanoparticles, resulting in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) quenching of the thin films.

Sol−Gel Assembly of CdSe Nanoparticles to Form Porous Aerogel Networks

A detailed study of CdSe aerogels prepared by oxidative aggregation of primary nanoparticles (prepared at room temperature and high temperature conditions, >250 degrees C), followed by CO2 supercritical drying, is described. The resultant materials are mesoporous, with an interconnected network of colloidal nanoparticles, and exhibit BET surface areas up to 224 m2/g and BJH average pore diameters in the range of 16-32 nm. Powder X-ray diffraction studies indicate that these materials retain the crystal structure of the primary nanoparticles, with a slight increase in primary particle size upon gelation and aerogel formation. Optical band gap measurements and photoluminescence studies show that the as-prepared aerogels retain the quantum-confined optical properties of the nanoparticle building blocks despite being connected into a 3-D network. The specific optical characteristics of the aerogel can be further modified by surface ligand exchange at the wet-gel stage, without destroying the gel network.