TY - JOUR A1 - Leubner, S. A1 - Schneider, Ralf A1 - Dubavik, A. A1 - Hatami, Soheil A1 - Gaponik, N. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Eychmüller, A. T1 - Influence of the stabilizing ligand on the quality, signal-relevant optical properties, and stability of near-infrared emitting Cd1-xHgxTe nanocrystals N2 - Bright and stable near-infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) emitting chromophores are in high demand for applications in telecommunication, solar cells, security barcodes, and as fluorescent reporters in bioimaging studies. The best choice for wavelengths >750 nm are semiconductor nanocrystals, especially ternary or alloy nanocrystals like CdHgTe, which enable size and composition control of their optical properties. Here, we report on the influence of growth time and surface chemistry on the composition and optical properties of colloidal CdHgTe. Up to now, these are the only NIR and IR emissive quantum dots, which can be synthesized in high quality in water, using a simple one-pot reaction. For this study we utilized and compared three different thiol ligands, thioglycolic acid (TGA), 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), and glutathione (GSH). Aiming at the rational design of bright NIR- and IR-emissive alloy materials, special emphasis was dedicated to a better understanding of the role of the surface ligand and adsorption–desorption equilibria on the photoluminescence quantum yield and stability. In this respect, dilution and protonation studies were performed. Our results show that with this simple synthetic procedure, strongly fluorescent CdHgTe colloids can be obtained with MPA as stabilizing ligand revealing quantum yields as high as 45% independent of particle concentration. PY - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c4tc00582a SN - 2050-7526 SN - 2050-7534 VL - 2 IS - 25 SP - 5011 EP - 5018 PB - Royal Soc. of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-31073 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, M. A1 - Kaiser, Martin A1 - Stachowski, G.M. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Gaponik, N. A1 - Eychmüller, A. T1 - Photoluminescence quantum yield and matrix-induced luminescence enhancement of colloidal quantum dots embedded in ionic crystals N2 - The incorporation of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) into solid matrices, especially ionic salts, holds several advantages for industrial applications. Here, we demonstrated via absolute measurements of photoluminescence quantum yields (PL-QY) that the photoluminescence of aqueous CdTe QDs can be considerably increased upon incorporation into a salt matrix with a simple crystallization procedure. Enhancement factors of up to 2.8 and a PL-QY of 50 to 80%, both in NaCl crystals and incorporated in silicone matrices, were reached. The fact that the achievable PL enhancement factors depend strongly on PL-QY of the parent QDs can be described by the change of the dielectric surrounding and the passivation of the QD surface, modifying radiative and nonradiative rate constants. Time-resolved PL measurements revealed noncorrelating PL lifetimes and PL-QY, suggesting that weakly emissive QDs of the ensemble are more affected by the enhancement mechanism, thereby influencing PL-QY and PL lifetime in a different manner. PY - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/cm5009043 SN - 0897-4756 SN - 1520-5002 VL - 26 IS - 10 SP - 3231 EP - 3237 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-31074 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -