Synthesis Of Colloidal Quantum Dots Research Articles

Synthesis of Colloidal Quantum Dots Coated with Mercaptosuccinic Acid for Early Detection and Therapeutics of Oral Cancers

Quantum dots (QDs) are gaining widespread recognition for its luminescence behavior and unique photo physical properties as a bio-marker and inorganic fluorophore. In spite of such rampant advantages, its application is clinically hampered depending on the surface coating decreasing its luminescence efficiency. The present study reports preparation of CdTe QDs capped with biologically active thiol based material, mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) for diagnosis of oral cancer (KB) cells by acting as a fluorophore marking targeted tumor cells and at the same time exhibiting certain cytotoxic effects. Synthesized MSA coated CdTe QDs is spherical in shape with an average particle size of 3–5[Formula: see text]nm. In vitro, the rapid uptake of MSA CdTe QDs in oral cancer cell lines were assessed through fluorescence microscopy. Further, this study evaluates the therapeutic efficiency of MSA CdTe QDs in human oral cancer cell lines using MTT analysis. MSA CdTe QDs exhibit significant cytotoxicity in oral cancer cells in a dose dependent manner with low IC50 when compared with other raw CdTe QDs. MSA CdTe QDs were also treated with human lymphocytes (normal cells) to assess and compare the toxicity profile of QDs in normal and oral tumors. The results of our present study strengthen our hypothesis of using MSA CdTe QDs as detector for tracking and fluorescence imaging of oral cancer cells and exhibiting sufficient cytotoxicity in them.

Pulsed laser deposition of CuInS2 quantum dots on one-dimensional TiO2 nanorod arrays and their photoelectrochemical characteristics

In the typical solution-based synthesis of colloidal quantum dots (QDs), it always resorts to some surface treatment, ligand exchange processing or post-synthesis processing, which might involve some toxic chemical regents injurious to the performance of QD sensitized solar cells. In this work, the CuInS2 QDs are deposited on the surface of one-dimensional TiO2 nanorod arrays by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The CuInS2 QDs are coated on TiO2 nanorods without any ligand engineering, and the performance of the obtained CuInS2 QD sensitized solar cells is optimized by adjusting the laser energy. An energy conversion efficiency of 3.95% is achieved under one sun illumination (AM 1.5, 100 mW cm−2). The improved performance is attributed to enhanced absorption in the longer wavelength region, quick interfacial charge transfer and few chance of carrier recombination with holes for CuInS2 QD-sensitized solar cells. Moreover, the photovoltaic device exhibits high stability in air without any specific encapsulation. Thus, the PLD technique could be further applied for the fabrication of QDs or other absorption materials.

The Influence of Doping on the Optoelectronic Properties of PbS Colloidal Quantum Dot Solids.

We report on an extensive spectroscopic investigation of the impact of substitutional doping on the optoelectronic properties of PbS colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solids. N-doping is provided by Bi incorporation during CQD synthesis as well as post-synthetically via cation exchange reactions. The spectroscopic data indicate a systematic quenching of the excitonic absorption and luminescence and the appearance of two dopant-induced contributions at lower energies to the CQD free exciton. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence indicates the presence of temperature-activated detrapping and trapping processes of photoexcitations for the films doped during and after synthesis, respectively. The data are consistent with a preferential incorporation of the dopants at the QDs surface in the case of the cation-exchange treated films versus a more uniform doping profile in the case of in-situ Bi incorporation during synthesis. Time-resolved experiments indicate the presence of fast dopant- and excitation-dependent recombination channels attributed to Auger recombination of negatively charged excitons, formed due to excess of dopant electrons. The data indicate that apart from dopant compensation and filling of dopant induced trap states, a fraction of the Bi ionized electrons feeds the QD core states resulting in n-doping of the semiconductor, confirming reported work on devices based on such doped CQD material.

Study of the self-organization processes in lead sulfide quantum dots

A procedure is described for the synthesis of nanoparticles based on lead chalcogenides. The procedure combines the synthesis of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solutions with simultaneous organization of the QDs into ordered arrays. The processes of the self-organization of QDs are analyzed at the nano- and microscopic levels by the photoluminescence method, atomic-force microscopy, and optical microscopy.

Recent Progress in Colloidal Quantum Dot Solar Cells: Novel Strategies in Synthesis and Device Structure

Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells have attracted great attention due to their cost-effectiveness and solution- processability, as well as their size-dependent optical and electrical properties. The power conversion efficiency of CQD solar cells has rapidly increased up to ~8.6%, which corresponds to the 3 - 4 fold improvement during the last 3 - 4 years. Up to now, there have been many pioneering results in CQD solar cells. Here, we review the recent progress of CQD solar cells including CQD synthesis strategy and device structure engineering.

One-Step Synthesis of Colloidal Quantum Dots of Iron Selenide Exhibiting Narrow Range Fluorescence in the Green Region

The instantaneous isolation of green fluorescent colloidal quantum dots of iron selenide capped with biocompatible oleic acid is reported in this study. These iron-containing quantum dots also serve as a safe alternative to the conventionally used metal-chalcogenide systems in which the heavy metal component is usually toxic. The isolated colored colloidal solutions exhibited intense green fluorescence on exposure to ultraviolet light, which was also confirmed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The isolated product was subjected to dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy, and the particles were found to exhibit spherical morphology with an average diameter of 6–8 nm, confirming the isolation of quantum dots. The isolated iron selenide quantum dots have promising potential towards bioimaging and sensing, due to the biocompatible coating of oleic acid and iron, which also allows possibility of further chemical derivatization.

Flow-based solution–liquid–solid nanowire synthesis

Discovered almost two decades ago, the solution-liquid-solid (SLS) method for semiconductor nanowire synthesis has proven to be an important route to high-quality, single-crystalline anisotropic nanomaterials. In execution, the SLS technique is similar to colloidal quantum-dot synthesis in that it entails the injection of chemical precursors into a hot surfactant solution, but mechanistically it is considered the solution-phase analogue to vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) growth. Both SLS and VLS methods make use of molten metal nanoparticles to catalyse the nucleation and elongation of single-crystalline nanowires. Significantly, however, the methods differ in how chemical precursors are introduced to the metal catalysts. In SLS, precursors are added in a one-off fashion in a flask, whereas in VLS they are carried by a flow of gas through the reaction chamber, and by-products are removed similarly. The ability to dynamically control the introduction of reactants and removal of by-products in VLS synthesis has enabled a degree of synthetic control not possible with SLS growth. We show here that SLS synthesis can be transformed into a continuous technique using a microfluidic reactor. The resulting flow-based SLS ('flow-SLS') platform allows us to slow down the synthesis of nanowires and capture mechanistic details concerning their growth in the solution phase, as well as synthesize technologically relevant axially heterostructured semiconductor nanowires, while maintaining the propensity of SLS for accessing ultrasmall diameters below 10nm.

Characterization of Colloidal Quantum Dot Ligand Exchange by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are chemically synthesized semiconductor nanoparticles with size-dependent wavelength tunability. Chemical synthesis of CQDs involves the attachment of long organic surface ligands to prevent aggregation; however, these ligands also impede charge transport. Therefore, it is beneficial to exchange longer surface ligands for shorter ones for optoelectronic devices. Typical characterization techniques used to analyze surface ligand exchange include Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, yet these techniques do not provide a simultaneously direct, quantitative, and sensitive method for evaluating surface ligands on CQDs. In contrast, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can provide nanoscale sensitivity for quantitative analysis of CQD surface ligand exchange. A unique aspect of this work is that a fingerprint is identified for shorter surface ligands by resolving the regional XPS spectrum corresponding to different types of carbon bonds. In addition, a deposition technique known as resonant infrared matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation is used to improve the CQD film uniformity such that stronger XPS signals are obtained, enabling more accurate analysis of the ligand exchange process.

Microwave mediated synthesis of semiconductor quantum dots

AbstractColloidal quantum dots (QD) have tuneable optoelectronic properties and can be easily handled by simple solution processing techniques, making them very attractive for a wide range of applications. Over the past decade synthesis of morphology controlled high quality (crystalline, monodisperse) colloidal QDs by thermal decomposition of organometallic precursors has matured and is well studied. Recently, synthesis of colloidal QDs by microwave irradiation as heating source is being studied due to the inherently different mechanisms of heat transfer, when compared to solvent convection based heating. Under microwave irradiation, polar precursor molecules directly absorb the microwave energy and heat up more efficiently. Here we report synthesis of colloidal II‐VI semiconductor QDs (CdS, CdSe, CdTe) by microwave irradiation and compare it with conventional synthesis based on convection heating. Our findings show that QD synthesis by microwave heating is more efficient and the chalcogenide precursor strongly absorbs the microwave radiation shortening the reaction time and giving a high reaction yield (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In Situ versus ex Situ Assembly of Aqueous-Based Thioacid Capped CdSe Nanocrystals within Mesoporous TiO2 Films for Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells

We report a straightforward in situ deposition method to directly assemble aqueous thioglycolic acid capped CdSe colloidal quantum dots within mesoporous TiO2 thin films by a low-temperature hydrothermal route. This approach integrates linker assisted adsorption and colloidal quantum dot synthesis in a single step due to the use of thioglycolic acid as the capping agent for the quantum dots and tethering agent for the TiO2. It permits high loading and uniform distribution of colloidal quantum dots within mesoporous TiO2 electrodes with a greatly improved photovoltaic performance as quantum dot sensitized solar cells, reaching efficiencies as high as 2.2% under one sun illumination conditions after ZnS treatment, compared to the ex situ assembly technique of adsorption of presynthesized semiconductor nanocrystals.

Quantum oscillations in magnetically doped colloidal nanocrystals

Progress in the synthesis of colloidal quantum dots has recently provided access to entirely new forms of diluted magnetic semiconductors, some of which may find use in quantum computation. The usefulness of a spin qubit is defined by its Rabi frequency, which determines the operation time, and its coherence time, which sets the error correction window. However, the spin dynamics of magnetic impurity ions in colloidal doped quantum dots remain entirely unexplored. Here, we use pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to demonstrate long spin coherence times of ∼0.9 µs in colloidal ZnO quantum dots containing the paramagnetic dopant Mn(2+), as well as Rabi oscillations with frequencies ranging between 2 and 20 MHz depending on microwave power. We also observe electron spin echo envelope modulations of the Mn(2+) signal due to hyperfine coupling with protons outside the quantum dots, a situation unique to the colloidal form of quantum dots, and not observed to date.

Radially Oriented ZnO Nanowires on Flexible Poly‐l‐Lactide Nanofibers for Continuous‐Flow Photocatalytic Water Purification

Several oxide ceramics, notably ZnO and TiO2 are known to catalyze decomposition of organic molecules in water under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Here we describe fabrication of highly flexible ZnO‐based hierarchical nanostructure obtained by growing radially oriented ZnO nanowires on poly‐l‐lactide nanofibers. Utilizing the flexibility and high surface area of polymeric nanofibers as novel substrate for growth of the photochemically active ZnO nanowires we show a proof‐of‐principle demonstration of a continuous flow water treatment setup. We have monitored photocatalytic decomposition of known organic pollutants, such as methylene blue, monocrotophos, and diphenylamine under illumination with UV light using this highly flexible hierarchical nanostructure.

Infrared Colloidal Quantum Dots for Photovoltaics: Fundamentals and Recent Progress

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are solution-processed semiconductors of interest in low-cost photovoltaics. Tuning of the bandgap of CQD films via the quantum size effect enables customization of solar cells' absorption profile to match the sun's broad visible- and infrared-containing spectrum reaching the earth. Here we review recent progress in the realization of low-cost, efficient solar cells based on CQDs. We focus in particular on CQD materials and approaches that provide both infrared and visible-wavelength solar power conversion CQD photovoltaics now exceed 5% solar power conversion efficiency, achieved by the introduction of a new architecture, the depleted-heterojunction CQD solar cell, that jointly maximizes current, voltage, and fill factor. CQD solar cells have also seen major progress in materials processing for stability, recently achieving extended operating lifetimes in an air ambient. We summarize progress both in device operation and also in gaining new insights into materials properties and processing - including new electrical contact materials and deposition techniques, as well as CQD synthesis, surface treatments, film-forming technologies - that underpin these rapid advances.

35.1: Invited Paper: Quantum Dot Light Emitting Devices for Pixelated Full Color Displays

Quantum dot light emitting devices (QD-LEDs) developed over the past four years demonstrate high external quantum efficiencies, saturated visible color emission, narrow-band infra-red emission, and can be fabricated with a scalable fabrication technique of high resolution. These recent advancements of QD-LED technology are due to progress in the chemistry of colloidal quantum dot synthesis and the development of new fabrication methods for generating thin films of QDs as outlined in this letter.