TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Pouget, S. A1 - Ling, W. L. A1 - Carriere, M. A1 - Reiss, P. T1 - Gallium – a versatile element for tuning the photoluminescence properties of InP quantum dots N2 - With the goal to tune the emission properties of colloidal InP quantum dots, the incorporation of Ga was explored. Unexpectedly, depending on the nature of the gallium precursor, the photoluminescence shifted either to the red (gallium oleate) or to the blue (gallium acetylacetonate). In the first case, larger-sized InP/GaP core/shell nanocrystals were formed, while in the second case the formation of an InGaP alloy structure enabled the blue range of emission (475 nm) to be accessed. KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Gallium doping PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CC09740B VL - 55 IS - 11 SP - 1663 EP - 1666 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-48306 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Moros, M. A1 - Castillo-Michel, H. A1 - Materra, L. A1 - Onorato, G. A1 - Ling, W. L. A1 - Reiss, P. A1 - Tortiglione, C. T1 - In Vivo Biotransformations of Indium Phosphide Quantum Dots Revealed by X‑Ray Microspectroscopy N2 - Many attempts have been made to synthesize cadmium-free quantum dots (QDs), using nontoxic materials, while preserving their unique optical properties. Despite impressive advances, gaps in knowledge of their intracellular fate, persistence, and excretion from the targeted cell or organism still exist, precluding clinical applications. In this study, we used a simple model organism (Hydra vulgaris) presenting a tissue grade of organization to determine the biodistribution of indium phosphide (InP)-based QDs by X-ray fluorescence imaging. By complementing elemental imaging with In L-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure, unique information on in situ chemical speciation was obtained. Unexpectedly, spectral profiles indicated the appearance of In−O species within the first hour post-treatment, suggesting a fast degradation of the InP QD core in vivo, induced mainly by carboxylate groups. Moreover, no significant difference in the behavior of bare core QDs and QDs capped with an inorganic Zn(Se,S) gradient shell was observed. The results paralleled those achieved by treating animals with an equivalent dose of indium salts, confirming the preferred bonding type of In3+ ions in Hydra tissues. In conclusion, by focusing on the chemical identity of indium along a 48 h long journey of QDs in Hydra, we describe a fast degradation process, in the absence of evident toxicity. These data pave the way to new paradigms to be considered in the biocompatibility assessment of QD-based biomedical applications, with greater emphasis on the dynamics of in vivo biotransformations, and suggest strategies to drive the design of future applied materials for nanotechnology-based diagnosis and therapeutics. KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Cytotoxicity KW - X-ray microspectroscopy PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b15433 VL - 11 IS - 39 SP - 35630 EP - 35640 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-49425 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Dussert, F. A1 - Truffier-Boutry, D. A1 - Benayad, A. A1 - Beal, D. A1 - Mattera, L. A1 - Ling, W. L. A1 - Carrière, M. A1 - Reiss, P. T1 - Influence of the Core/Shell Structure of Indium Phosphide Based Quantum Dots on Their Photostability and Cytotoxicity N2 - With the goal to improve their photostability, InP-based QDs are passivated with three types of inorganic shells, namely (i) a gradient ZnSexS1−x shell, (ii) an additional ZnS shell on top of the gradient shell with two different thicknesses (core/shell/shell, CSS), (iii) an alumina coating on top of ZnS. All three systems have photoluminescence Quantum yields (PLQY) > 50%and similar PL decay times (64–67 ns). To assess their photostability they are incorporated into a transparent poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix and exposed to continuous irradiation with simulated sunlight in a climate chamber. The alumina coated core/shell system exhibits the highest stability in terms of PLQY Retention as well as the lowest shift of the PL maximum and lowest increase of the PL linewidth, followed by the CSS QDs and finally the gradient shell system. By means of XPS studies we identify the degradation of the ZnS outer layer and concomitant xidation of the emissive InZnP core as the main origins of degradation in the gradient structure. These modifications do not occur in the case of the alumina-capped sample, which exhibits excellent chemical stability. The gradient shell and CSS systems could be transferred to the aqueous phase using surface ligand exchange with penicillamine. Cytotoxicity studies on human primary keratinocytes revealed that exposure for 24 h to 6.25–100 nM of QDs did not affect cell viability. However, a trend toward reduced cell proliferation is observed for higher concentrations of gradient shell and CSS QDs with a thin ZnS shell, while CSS QDs with a thicker ZnS shell do not exhibit any impact. KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Cytotoxicity KW - Photostability PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-494249 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2019.00466 VL - 7 SP - Article Number: 466 PB - Frontiers Media SA AN - OPUS4-49424 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David T1 - Tuning the photoluminescence of inp quantum dots with gallium N2 - Semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are well known for their superior photophysical properties and enabled advancements in several key technologies of the 21st century and numerous technological applications. However, the most studied II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals contain the toxic heavy metal element cadmium, which is limiting their utilization in commercial applications. This has drawn the interest to alternative materials with less toxicity but having similar photophysical features. The newest generation of TV screens based on QDs have shown that there is a promising environmentally friendly alternative with similar optoelectronic properties, namely indium phosphide (InP) QDs. InP QDs possess a bulk band gap of 1.35 eV with an exciton Bohr radius of ca. 10 nm and thus allow to tune their photoluminescence (PL) from the visible to the near-infrared. Tuning the size and shape of InP QDs and thus tailor their optoelectronic properties can be achieved by different strategies, which range from different types and concentrations of precursors, synthesis temperature or post-synthetic manipulations like etching. The incorporation of other elements like Gallium within the InP core synthesis is another possibility. Using a GaP intermediate layer before growing a ZnS shell has been shown to increase the PL quantum yield, which has been attributed to reduced lattice strain and the removal of phosphor vacancies. Different Ga precursors were investigated but a thorough investigation in terms of their reactivity, localization in the QD and influence on the photophysical properties is lacking to date. In this contribution we will present the detailed investigation of the presence of two different Ga precursors within the InP core synthesis. Photophysical characterizations (steady-state and PL life-time measurements), transmission electron microscopy, XRD and EDX gave insights into the reactivity of the Ga precursors, the Ga localization in the InP core and influences on the photophysical properties. The variation of the precursor and surfactant concentration and the utilization of different ligands for the Ga precursor allowed tuning the PL emission towards the blue or the red. Depending on the used precursor type we observed the formation of larger-sized InP/GaP core/shell nanocrystals or the formation of InGaP alloy structures enabling to assess the blue range of emission (475 nm). T2 - Zsigmondy Colloquium CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 10.07.2019 KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Gallium doping PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49426 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David T1 - Influence of the ZnSe thickness on the photophysical properties of large-size InP/ZnSe/ZnS core-shell QDs N2 - Semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are well known for their superior optoelectronic properties and enabled advancements in several key technologies of the 21st century. II-VI QDs containing the heavy metal element cadmium plaid a central role in this research area. Due to the concerns regarding their toxic potential, the European Union will ban cadmium in 2020 from use in any consumer product. Due to their comparable optoelectronic properties and a more environmentally friendly character, indium phosphide based QDs (InP-QDs) are a promising alternative. Their large application potential was already shown in their utilization in the newest commercial TV screens. A vital role for highly luminescent QDs for such an application plays the growth of a surface passivating shell around the InP core. The combination of InP/ZnSe/ZnS in so-called core/shell/shell materials exploits the advantages of a small lattice mismatch (3.3%) between InP and ZnSe and the large band gap of ZnS to efficiently confine the excitons in the core and to increase the overall chemical stability. Using a thin ZnSe layer and a thick ZnS shell has shown to improve the optical properties of InP QDs and only recently, the prevention of blinking and mono-exponential decay kinetics could be achieved with a thick ZnSe Shell. In our contribution, we investigated the influence of the thickness of the intermediate ZnSe layer (1 to 8 monolayers (ML)) on the photophysical properties of InP/ZnSe/ZnS core/shell/shell QDs with a final size of about 10 nm on the ensemble and the single-particle level. By rendering these InP QDs water-soluble, we were able to compare their properties in the organic and aqueous phase and further studied their toxicological potential depending on the chemical composition of their surface shell. T2 - Nanoscience with nanocrystals (NaNaX) 9 CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 16.09.2019 KW - Indium phosphide KW - Quantum dots KW - Core-shell structures KW - Single-particle measurements PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-49427 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Assessing the influence of microwave-assisted synthesis parameters and stabilizing ligands on the optical properties of AIS/ZnS quantum dots N2 - Luminescent semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are frequently used in the life and material sciences as reporter for bioimaging studies and as active components in devices such as displays, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and sensors. Increasing concerns regarding the use of toxic elements like cadmium and lead, and hazardous organic solvents during QD synthesis have meanwhile triggered the search for heavy-metal free QDs using green chemistry syntheses methods. Interesting candidates are ternary AgInS2 (AIS) QDs that exhibit broad photoluminescence (PL) bands, large effective Stokes shifts, high PL quantum yields (PL QYs), and long PL lifetimes, which are particularly beneficial for applications such as bioimaging, white light-emitting diodes, and solar concentrators. In addition, these nanomaterials can be prepared in high quality with a microwave-assisted (MW) synthesis in aqueous solution. The homogeneous heat diffusion and instant temperature rise of the MW synthesis enables a better control of QD nucleation and growth and thus increases the batch-to-batch reproducibility. In this study, we systematically explored the MW synthesis of AIS/ZnS QDs by varying parameters such as the order of reagent addition, precursor concentration, and type of stabilizing thiol ligand, and assessed their influence on the optical properties of the resulting AIS/ZnS QDs. Under optimized synthesis conditions, water-soluble AIS/ZnS QDs with a PL QY of 65% and excellent colloidal and long-term stability could be reproducible prepared. KW - Quantum dots KW - Microwave-assisted synthesis KW - AgInS KW - Aqueous synthesis PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-567091 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25498-3 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-56709 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miropoltsev, M. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Influence of Hydrophilic Thiol Ligands of Varying Denticity on the Luminescence Properties and Colloidal Stability of Quaternary Semiconductor Nanocrystals N2 - Binary photoluminescent semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots, QDs) are one of the best studied fluorescent nanomaterials, and their unique optoelectronic properties paved the road to many applications in (bio)nanophotonics, optoelectronics, and photovoltaics. However, concerns related to their toxic constituents like cadmium or lead and the emerging interest in greener chemistry synthesis approaches hamper their future applicability. Interesting alternatives for some applications like biosensing or bioimaging are heavy-metal-free ternary QDs like AgInS2 (AIS), CuInS2 (CIS), and quaternary QDs such as AIS-ZnS (ZAIS). In this context, we explored the effect of ligand denticity on the organic-to-aqueous phase transfer of oleylamine-stabilized ZAIS QDs with the hydrophilic ligands mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), and 3-mercapto-2,2-bis(mercaptomethyl)propanoic acid (3MPA), bearing mono-, bi-, and trialkyl thiol groups. Spectroscopic studies of the resulting water-dispersible ZAIS QDs revealed a considerable influence of ligand denticity and ligand-to-QD ratio on the spectral position and width (FWHM; full width at half-maximum) of the photoluminescence (PL) bands, the PL quantum yields (PL QY), and the PL decay kinetics. Thiol capping and phase transfer resulted in a loss in PL by at least a factor of 2. The ligand-induced PL quenching observed particularly for ligands bearing two or three thiol groups was attributed to the facilitated formation of surface-bound disulfides. The best colloidal stability under high dilution conditions was observed for 3MPA. KW - Quantum dots KW - Ligand exchange KW - Lifetime analysis KW - Thiols PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c05342 SN - 1932-7447 VL - 126 IS - 47 SP - 20101 EP - 20113 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-56707 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Carulli, F. A1 - Nickl, Philip A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Brovelli, S. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Efficient luminescent solar concentrators based on environmentally friendly Cd-free ternary AIS/ZnS quantum dots N2 - Luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) allow to obtain renewable energy from building integrated photovoltaic systems. As promising efficient and long-term stable LSC fluorophores semiconductor nanocrystals like Quantum dots (QDs) with size and composition tunable optoelectronic properties have recently emerged. The most popular II/VI or IV/VI semiconductor QDs contain, however, potentially hazardous cadmium or lead ions, which is a bottleneck for commercial applications. A simple aqueous based, microwaveassisted synthesis for environmentally friendly and highly emissive AgInS2/ ZnS QDs is developed using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and glutathione (GSH) and their incorporation into polylaurylmethacrylate (PLMA) polymer slabs integrable in LSC devices (10.4 × 10.4 × 0.2 cm3, G = 12.98). With this simple approach, optical power efficiencies (OPE) of 3.8% and 3.6% and optical quantum efficiencies (OQE) of 24.1% and 27.4% are obtained, which are among the highest values yet reported. KW - Solar energy KW - Solar concentrator KW - Quantum dots KW - Advanced material KW - Quantum yield PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-529735 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202100587 SN - 2195-1071 SN - 0935-9648 VL - 9 IS - 17 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-52973 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tarantini, A. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Dussert, F. A1 - Sarret, G. A1 - Beal, D. A1 - Mattera, L. A1 - Lincheneau, C. A1 - Proux, O. A1 - Truffier-Boutry, D. A1 - Moriscot, C. A1 - Gallet, B. A1 - Jouneau, P.-H. A1 - Reiss, P. A1 - Carriere, M. T1 - Physicochemical alterations and toxicity of InP alloyed quantum dots aged in environmental conditions: A safer by design evaluation N2 - Due to their unique optical properties, quantum dots (QDs) are used in a number of optoelectronic devices and are forecasted to be used in the near future for biomedical applications. The most popular QD composition consists of cadmium selenide (CdSe) or cadmium telluride (CdTe), which has been shown to pose health risks due to the release of toxic cadmium (Cd) ions. Due to similar optical properties but lower intrinsic toxicity, indium phosphide (InP) QDs have been proposed as a safer alternative. Nevertheless, investigations regarding their safety and possible toxicological effects are still in their infancy. The fate and toxicity of seven different water-dispersible indium (In) based QDs, either pristine or after ageing in a climatic chamber, was evaluated. The core of these QDs was composed of indium, zinc and phosphorus (InZnP) or indium, zinc, phosphorus and sulfur (InZnPS). They were assessed either as core-only or as core-shell QDs, for which the core was capped with a shell of zinc, selenium and sulfur (Zn(Se,S)). Their Surface was functionalized using either penicillamine or glutathione. In their pristine form, these QDs showed essentially no cytotoxicity. The particular case of InZnPS QD showed that core-shell QDs were less cytotoxic than core-only QDs. Moreover, surface functionalization with either penicillamine or glutathione did not appreciably influence cytotoxicity but affected QD stability. These QDs did not lead to over-accumulation of reactive oxygen species in exposed cells, or to any oxidative damage to cellular DNA. However, accelerated weathering in a climatic chamber led to QD precipitation and degradation, together with significant cytotoxic effects. Ageing led to dissociation of IneP and ZneS bonds, and to complexation of In Zn ions with carboxylate and/or phosphate moieties. These results show that InZnP and InZnPS alloyed QDs are safer alternatives to CdSe QDs. They underline the necessity to preserve as much as possible the structural integrity of QDs, for instance by developing more robust shells, in order to ensure their safety for future applications. KW - Indium phosphide KW - Safe by design KW - Toxicity KW - EXAFS PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-483070 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.impact.2019.100168 VL - 14 SP - 100168-1 EP - 100168-13 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-48307 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alam, F. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Pouget, S. A1 - Amidani, L. A1 - Kvashnina, K. A1 - Aldakov, D. A1 - Reiss, P. T1 - Eu2+: A suitable substituent for Pb2+ in CsPbX3 perovskite nanocrystals? N2 - Eu2+ is used to replace toxic Pb2+ in metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs). The synthesis implies injection of cesium oleate into a solution of europium (II) bromide at an experimentally determined optimum temperature of 130 ○C and a reaction time of 60 s. Structural analysis indicates the formation of spherical CsEuBr3 nanoparticles with a mean size of 43 ± 7 nm. Using EuI2 instead of EuBr2 leads to the formation of 18-nm CsI nanoparticles, while EuCl2 does not show any reaction with cesium oleate forming 80-nm EuCl2 nanoparticles. The obtained CsEuBr3 NCs exhibit bright blue emission at 413 nm (FWHM 30 nm) with a room temperature photoluminescence quantum yield of 39%. The emission originates from the Laporte-allowed 4f7–4f65d1 transition of Eu2+ and shows a PL decay time of 263 ns. The long-term stability of the optical properties is observed, making inorganic lead-free CsEuBr3 NCs promising deep blue emitters for optoelectronics. KW - Perovskite KW - Lead-free KW - fluorescence KW - anion-exchange PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5126473 SN - 0021-9606 VL - 151 SP - 231101-1 EP - 231101-7 PB - AIP Publishing AN - OPUS4-50696 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Häusler, I. A1 - Knigge, Xenia A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Reiss, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - One-Pot Heat-Up Synthesis of ZnSe Magic-Sized Clusters Using Thiol Ligands N2 - The synthesis of two new families of ZnSe magic-sized clusters (MSCs) is achieved using the thiol ligand 1-dodecanethiol in a simple one-pot heat-up approach. The sizes of the MSCs are controlled with the thiol ligand concentration and reaction temperature. KW - ZnSe KW - Magic-sized cluster KW - Dodecanethiol KW - Semiconductor nanocrystals KW - One-pot synthesis PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c00041 VL - 61 IS - 19 SP - 7207 EP - 7211 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington, DC (USA) AN - OPUS4-54880 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Wegner, Karl David T1 - One-Pot Heat-Up Synthesis of ZnSe Magic-Sized Clusters Using Thiol Ligands N2 - The unique optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanocrystals, also termed quantum dots (QDs), have led to many advances in optoelectronic devices, bioimaging, and biosensing. This strong potential in a wide range of applications sparked the interest for a better understanding of the QD formation mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that atomically defined, zero-dimensional magic-size clusters (MSCs) play a crucial role during the nucleation and growth of QDs. Thereby MSCs consist of discrete numbers of ions leading to narrow size distributions and thus narrow absorption peaks, which evolve in discrete steps from one stable size to the next. The formation of MSCs was found in the synthesis of II-VI and III-V QDs but only limited synthesis approaches are available for the synthesis of MSCs in single-ensemble form without coexistence of other-size QDs. These MSCs can further self-assemble into two- and three-dimensional hybrid structures using organic ligands like diamines, leading to enhanced photoluminescence properties and catalytic activities. In this contribution, we present a synthesis strategy for the preparation of single-sized ZnSe MSCs. With a band gap of 2.7 eV and being an earth-abundant material, ZnSe QDs are interesting for light-emitting devices, blue-green lasers, photocatalysis, and fluorescence probes. In contrast to other studies, our approach is based on a one-pot heat-up synthesis and uses less toxic and dangerous zinc precursors (e.g. zinc stearate). Knowing that thiol-based ligands can alter the formation process of ZnSe QDs, we investigated the influence of 1-dodecanethiol on the ZnSe MSC formation using absorption spectroscopy, TEM, XPS, and XRD. By variation of the thiol ligand concentration and reaction temperature, we were able to synthesize two new ZnSe MSC sizes, the largest so far, by using easy-to-handle precursors. T2 - NANOHYBRID - Hamburg Conference on Complex Nanostructures CY - Hamburg, Germany DA - 04.10.2022 KW - ZnSe KW - Magic-sized cluster KW - Nanoparticle KW - Synthesis KW - Nanomaterial PY - 2022 AN - OPUS4-56193 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -