Abstract
The preparation of two-component polymer composite nanoparticles encapsulating both Si quantum dots (SiQDs) and Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) by a single step miniemulsion polymerization of divinylbenzene is described. This simple and robust method affords well-defined polymer composite nanoparticles with mean diameters in a range of 100-200 nm and with narrow polydispersity indices as determined by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The successful encapsulation of AuNPs within poly(divinylbenzene) was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy and from TEM images. Plasmon-enhanced fluorescence of the luminescence of the SiQDs by AuNPs encapsulated within the polymer composite nanoparticles was evaluated by confocal microspectroscopy, and luminescence enhancements of up to 15 times were observed. These observations indicate that the luminescence of the SiQDs is enhanced by the proximity of the AuNPs. The polymer composite nanoparticles were successfully ink-jet printed onto a glass substrate, which demonstrates that these composites are processable in printing applications.
Highlights
Quantum dots (QDs) are inorganic uorophores that possess unique photophysical properties which are useful in a diverse range of applications.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] The combination of different nanoparticles possessing different functionalities within a composite nanoparticle presents an exciting approach to expand the range of applications of inorganic nanoparticles
We recently showed that silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) can be encapsulated inside polymeric nanoparticles, resulting in a nanocomposite which possesses the luminescence of the SiQDs and the processability of the polymer matrix.[9]
An important requirement in the preparation of polymer composite nanoparticles by miniemulsion polymerization methods is that the inorganic nanoparticles disperse well in the hydrophobic monomer system
Summary
Quantum dots (QDs) are inorganic uorophores that possess unique photophysical properties which are useful in a diverse range of applications.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] The combination of different nanoparticles possessing different functionalities within a composite nanoparticle presents an exciting approach to expand the range of applications of inorganic nanoparticles. To explore the effects of different encapsulated ratios of AuNPs : SiQDs upon the uorescence properties of the polymer composite nanoparticles, six batches of composite particles were prepared (Table 1) which contained different masses of PSAuNPs but with constant masses of SiQDs. Because of the low masses of SiQDs obtained in our electrochemical etching method, it is not possible to determine the precise mass of SiQDs contained within each polymerization reaction, by dividing a SiQDs solution into six equal portions, it was possible to ensure a constant mass of SiQDs within each polymerization.
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