Filtern
Dokumenttyp
- Vortrag (3)
- Posterpräsentation (3)
Referierte Publikation
- nein (6) (entfernen)
Schlagworte
- Surface chemistry (3)
- AFM (2)
- Brightness (2)
- CdSe (2)
- Confocal (2)
- Lanthanide (2)
- Lifetime (2)
- NIR (2)
- Nano (2)
- Nanocrystal (2)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (3)
The optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals (SCNC) are controlled by constituent material, particle size, and surface chemistry, specifically the number of dangling bonds favoring nonradiative deactivation, and hence also by particle synthesis. In this respect, the fluorescence properties of coreshell CdSe SCNCs with different shells and surface chemistries were studied on ensemble and single particle level, using steady state and timeresolved fluorometry and confocal microscopy with time correlated single photon counting detection. Special emphasis was dedicated to correlate ensemble photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields and decay kinetics with particle brightness, PL time traces, and the Ontime fraction of the single SCNCs. Additionally, the confocal PL images were correlated with AFM measurements in order to derive the amount of absorbing, yet nonemisssive ”dark” SCNCs, the presence of which leading to an underestimation of ensemble PL quantum yields. The results of this study can help to identify synthetic routes and surface modifications minimizing the fraction of dark SCNC, thereby closing the gap to the ultimate goal of colloidally and photochemically stable SCNCs with a PL quantum yield of close to unity.
The optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals (SCNCs) depend on constituent material, particle size, and surface chemistry, with the size of the photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) and the PL decay kinetics being largely controlled by the number of dangling bonds, which have to be properly passivated for high quality materials. Hence, PL measurements can provide insight not only in SCNC photophysics, yet can be also used for quality control of SCNC synthesis and surface modification. In this respect, steady state and time-resolved fluorometry and confocal microscopy with time correlated single photon counting were used to study the PL properties of core-shell CdSe SCNCs with different shells and surface chemistries on ensemble and single particle level, thereby focusing on a correlation of ensemble PL QY and PL decay kinetics with particle brightness, PL time traces, and the On-time fraction of single SCNCs. Additionally, confocal PL images were correlated with AFM measurements in order to derive the amount of absorbing, yet non-emissive ”dark” SCNCs, the presence of which resulting in an underestimation of ensemble PL quantum yields. The results of this study can help to identify synthetic routes and surface modifications, which minimize the fraction of dark SCNCs.
Here, we report on the recent advancements in the synthesis and optical properties of novel core-shell CdSe semiconductor nanocrystals (SCNC) with either a thick monolithic shell of CdS or thin multi-shells of succeeding CdS and ZnS monolayers, characterized by steady state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy at the ensemble level. SCNC samples, chosen upon the size of their photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY), were subsequently investigated at the single particle level using a custom build confocal laser scanning microscope to obtain information on brightness, blinking behavior, and decay kinetics of single SCNCs and correlate these properties with their surface morphology. The results of this study can help to identify new synthetic routes and surface modifications to colloidally and photochemically stable SCNCs with a PL QY of close to unity.
"The optical properties of semiconductor nanocrystals (SCNC) are controlled by constituent material, particle size, and surface chemistry, specifically the number of dangling bonds favoring nonradiative deactivation. This can lead to a distribution of photoluminescence Quantum yields (PL QY) amongst the SCNC particles, i.e., mixtures of “bright” and “grey” or “dark” SCNCs.
Particularly the number of absorbing, yet not emitting particles can have a significant effect on the PL quantum yield obtained in ensemble measurements, leading to ist underestimation. The “dark fraction” is not assessable in common ensemble measurements; it can be probed only on a single particle level using a confocal laser scanning microscope coupled with an AFM. Such a setup was used to study core‐shell CdSe SCNCs with different shells and surface chemistries. Special emphasis was dedicated to correlate brightness, blinking, dark fraction, and decay kinetics of the single SCNCs with the ensemble PL QY and the PL decay kinetics. The results of this study can help to identify new synthetic routes and surface modifications to colloidally and photochemically stable SCNCs with a PL QY of close to unity."
Accurate and quantitative photoluminescence measurements are mandatory for the comparison of different emitter classes and the rational design of the next generation of molecular and nanoscale reporters as well as for most applications relying on their luminescence features in the life and material sciences and nanobiophotonics. In the following, procedures for the determination of the spectroscopic key parameter photoluminescence quantum yield, i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons, in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR are presented including pitfalls and achievable uncertainties and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes are addressed. Special emphasis is dedicated to luminescent nanocrystals.
Inorganic nanocrystals with linear and nonlinear luminescence in the ultraviolet, visible, near infrared and shortwave infrared like semiconductor quantum dots and spectrally shifting lanthanide-based nanophosphors have meanwhile found applications in the life and material sciences ranging from optical reporters for bioimaging and sensing over security barcodes to solid state lighting and photovoltaics. These nanomaterials commonly have increasingly sophisticated core/shell particle architectures with shells of different chemical composition and thickness to minimize radiationless deactivation at the particle surface that is usually the main energy loss mechanism [1]. For lanthanide-based spectral shifters, particularly for very small nanoparticles, also surface coatings are needed which protect near-surface lanthanide ions from luminescence quenching by high energy vibrators like O-H groups and prevent the disintegration of these nanoparticles under high dilution conditions. [2,3,4]. The identification of optimum particle structures requires quantitative spectroscopic studies focusing on the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield [5,6], ideally flanked by single particle studies to assess spectroscopic inhomogeneities on a particle-to-particle level for typical preparation methods [7], Moreover, in the case of upconversion nanoparticles with a multi-photonic and hence, excitation power density (P)-dependent luminescence, quantitative luminescence studies over a broad P range are required to identify particle architectures that are best suited for applications in fluorescence assays up to fluorescence microscopy. Here, we present methods to quantify the photoluminescence of these different types of emitters in the vis/NIR/SWIR and as function of Pand demonstrate the importance of such measurements for a profound mechanistic understanding of the nonradiative deactivation pathways in semiconductor and upconversion nanocrystals of different size and particle architecture in different environments.