Structural investigations into colour-tuneable fluorescent InZnP-based quantum dots from zinc carboxylate and aminophosphine precursors

Fluorescent InP-based quantum dots have emerged as valuable nanomaterials for display technologies, biological imaging, and optoelectronic applications. The inclusion of zinc can enhance both their emissive and structural properties and reduce interfacial defects with ZnS or CdS shells. However, the sub-particle distribution of zinc and the role this element plays often remains unclear, and it has previously proved challenging to synthesise Zn-alloyed InP-based nanoparticles using aminophosphine precursors. In this report, we describe the synthesis of alloyed InZnP using zinc carboxylates, achieving colour-tuneable fluorescence from the unshelled core materials, followed by a one-pot ZnS or CdS deposition using diethyldithiocarbamate precursors. Structural analysis revealed that the "core/shell" particles synthesised here were more accurately described as homogeneous extended alloys with the constituent shell elements diffusing through the entire core, including full-depth inclusion of zinc.

Anisotropic and hyperbranched InP nanocrystals via chemical transformation of in situ produced In2O3

We synthesized indium phosphide (InP) nanoparticles of different shapes and sizes, utilizing triphenyl phosphite (TPOP) as the phosphorus source. We show that this reaction proceeds via the formation of in situ formed In₂O₃ nanoparticles followed by subsequent transformation with triphenyl TPOP acting as the phosphorus source. Our findings open up new synthetic possibilities utilizing a cost-effective, non-pyrophoric and non-toxic phosphorus precursor. The large surface area of hyperbranched InP NCs might be ideally suited for surface-driven processes such as catalysis and energy storage.

Photostability enhancement of InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS quantum dots by plasmonic nanostructures

The effect of gold and silver plasmonic films on the photoluminescence and photostability of InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS nanocrystals (quantum dots) is reported. Colloidal gold films promote the photostability enhancement of InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS quantum dots (more durable emission properties in the presence of metal nanostructures) through reducing exciton lifetime. In contrast, silver decreases the photostability of InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS quantum dots without changing the photoluminescence intensity and kinetics. By adjusting the excitation wavelength closer to the extinction band of gold nanoparticles a 1.8-fold enhancement of luminescence intensity has been obtained using a polyelectrolyte spacer between the metal and InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS nanoparticles. Thus, plasmonics offers essential practical improvement of light emitters in terms of their durable luminescent properties upon prolonged optical excitation without losses in luminescence efficiency or even along with increased efficiency.

Nanostructured metal phosphides: from controllable synthesis to sustainable catalysis

Metal phosphides (MPs) with unique and desirable physicochemical properties provide promising potential in practical applications, such as the catalysis, gas/humidity sensor, environmental remediation, and energy storage fields, especially for transition metal phosphides (TMPs) and MPs consisting of group IIIA and IVA metal elements. Most studies, however, on the synthesis of MP nanomaterials still face intractable challenges, encompassing the need for a more thorough understanding of the growth mechanism, strategies for large-scale synthesis of targeted high-quality MPs, and practical achievement of functional applications. This review aims at providing a comprehensive update on the controllable synthetic strategies for MPs from various metal sources. Additionally, different passivation strategies for engineering the structural and electronic properties of MP nanostructures are scrutinized. Then, we showcase the implementable applications of MP-based materials in emerging sustainable catalytic fields including electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, mild thermocatalysis, and related hybrid systems. Finally, we offer a rational perspective on future opportunities and remaining challenges for the development of MPs in the materials science and sustainable catalysis fields.

Semiconductor Quantum Dots: An Emerging Candidate for CO2 Photoreduction

As one of the most critical approaches to resolve the energy crisis and environmental concerns, carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) photoreduction into value-added chemicals and solar fuels (for example, CO, HCOOH, CH₃ OH, CH₄ ) has attracted more and more attention. In nature, photosynthetic organisms effectively convert CO₂ and H₂ O to carbohydrates and oxygen (O₂ ) using sunlight, which has inspired the development of low-cost, stable, and effective artificial photocatalysts for CO₂ photoreduction. Due to their low cost, facile synthesis, excellent light harvesting, multiple exciton generation, feasible charge-carrier regulation, and abundant surface sites, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have recently been identified as one of the most promising materials for establishing highly efficient artificial photosystems. Recent advances in CO₂ photoreduction using semiconductor QDs are highlighted. First, the unique photophysical and structural properties of semiconductor QDs, which enable their versatile applications in solar energy conversion, are analyzed. Recent applications of QDs in photocatalytic CO₂ reduction are then introduced in three categories: binary II-VI semiconductor QDs (e.g., CdSe, CdS, and ZnSe), ternary I-III-VI semiconductor QDs (e.g., CuInS₂ and CuAlS₂ ), and perovskite-type QDs (e.g., CsPbBr₃ , CH₃ NH₃ PbBr₃ , and Cs₂ AgBiBr₆ ). Finally, the challenges and prospects in solar CO₂ reduction with QDs in the future are discussed.

Chemical Synthesis and Applications of Colloidal Metal Phosphide Nanocrystals

Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as promising materials in optoelectronic devices and biological imaging application due to their tailorable properties through size, shape, and composition. Among these NCs, metal phosphide is an important class, in parallel with metal chalcogenide. In this review, we summarize the recent progress regarding the chemical synthesis and applications of colloidal metal phosphide NCs. As the most important metal phosphide NCs, indium phosphide (InP) NCs have been intensively investigated because of their low toxicity, wide and tunable emission range from visible to the near-infrared region. Firstly, we give a brief overview of synthetic strategies to InP NCs, highlighting the benefit of employing zinc precursors as reaction additive and the importance of different phosphorus precursors to improve the quality of the InP NCs, in terms of size distribution, quantum yield, colloidal stability, and non-blinking behavior. Next, we discuss additional synthetic techniques to overcome the issues of lattice mismatch in the synthesis of core/shell metal phosphide NCs, by constructing an intermediate layer between core/shell or designing a shell with gradient composition in a radial direction. We also envision future research directions of InP NCs. The chemical synthesis of other metal phosphide NCs, such as II-V metal phosphide NCs (Cd3P2, Zn3P2) and transition metal phosphides NCs (Cu3P, FeP) is subsequently introduced. We finally discuss the potential applications of colloidal metal phosphide NCs in photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and lithium ion battery. An overview of several key applications based on colloidal metal phosphide NCs is provided at the end.

Preparation and biomedical applications of bright robust silica nanocapsules with multiple incorporated InP/ZnS quantum dots

InP/ZnS quantum dots incorporated in silica capsules are robust and bright, and can image cells clearly.

Highly luminescent core–shell InP/ZnX (X = S, Se) quantum dots prepared via a phosphine synthetic route

A simple and fast synthetic approach to produce highly luminescent InP/ZnX (X = Se, S) core–shell QDs on the basis of a phosphine synthetic route has been realized.

Dendritic α-Fe2O3/TiO2 nanocomposites with improved visible light photocatalytic activity

A branch-like α-Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ heterostructure has been synthesized controllably through an electrospinning method combined with a hydrothermal approach.

Understanding the role of single molecular ZnS precursors in the synthesis of In(Zn)P/ZnS nanocrystals

Environmentally friendly nanocrystals (NCs) such as InP are in demand for various applications, such as biomedical labeling, solar cells, sensors, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). To fulfill their potential applications, the synthesis of such high-quality "green" InP NCs required further improvement so as to achieve better stability, higher brightness NCs, and also to have a more robust synthesis route. The present study addresses our efforts on the synthesis of high-quality In(Zn)P/ZnS core-shell NCs using an air- and moisture-stable ZnS single molecular precursor (SMP) and In(Zn)P cores. The SMP method has recently emerged as a promising route for the surface overcoating of NCs due to its simplicity, high reproducibility, low reaction temperature, and flexibility in controlling the reaction. The synthesis involved heating the In(Zn)P core solution and Zn(S2CNR2) (where R = methyl, ethyl, butyl, or benzyl and referred to as ZDMT, ZDET, ZDBT, or ZDBzT, respectively) in oleylamine (OLA) to 90-250 °C for 0.5-2.5 h. In this work, we systematically studied the influence of different SMP end groups, the complex formation and stability between the SMP and oleylamine (OLA), the reaction temperature, and the amount of SMP on the synthesis of high-quality In(Zn)P/ZnS NCs. We found that thiocarbamate end groups are an important factor contributing to the low-temperature growth of high-quality In(Zn)P/ZnS NCs, as the end groups affect the polarity of the molecules and result in a different steric arrangement. We found that use of SMP with bulky end groups (ZDBzT) results in nanocrystals with higher photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) and better dispersibility than those synthesized with SMPs with the shorter alkyl chain groups (ZDMT, ZDET, or ZDBT). At the optimal conditions, the PL QY of red emission In(Zn)P/ZnS NCs is 55 ± 4%, which is one of the highest values reported. On the basis of structural (XAS, XPS, XRD, TEM) and optical characterization, we propose a mechanism for the growth of a ZnS shell on an In(Zn)P core.