Rapid synthesis of highly luminescent InP and InP/ZnS nanocrystals

Abstract

We report a simple method for the fast synthesis of highly photoluminescent InP and InP/ZnS core-shell nanocrystals (NCs) covering a wide range of emissions from blue to the near infrared. Both InP and InP/ZnS NCs were prepared in one-step, in a one-pot reaction within 20 min using an InCl 3 complex as a precursor and zinc carboxylate as an initiator and stabilizer. The quantum yields of the InP and InP/ZnS NCs were 30% and 60%, respectively. This new synthetic method allows fast and reproducible preparation of InP and InP/ZnS NCs with a quality comparable to that of the frequently used CdSe-based ones. It is anticipated that these particles can be used to replace CdSe for many applications.

Tuning the Lattice Parameter of InxZnyP for Highly Luminescent Lattice-Matched Core/Shell Quantum Dots

“…21,24 While the PL emission spectrum of the pure InP QDs (Figure 4a black curve) is characterized by a broad secondary peak at lower energies, usually assigned to defect emission, 55,56 this peak was suppressed upon the introduction of zinc, as has been previously observed by Thuy et al. 21 At the same time, the PL QY of the alloyed QDs increased from about 0-1% in pure InP up to 20% for Zn/In = 1.5 (figure 4c) and the PL decay became longer (see figure S12 and table S2), suggesting that the Zn 2+ ions, in addition to being incorporated in the QD lattice, could passivate the surface of the QDs.…”

“…InP-based QDs are among the most investigated nontoxic Cd-free systems, owing to their comparable emission range. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] However, in terms of PL QY and PL stability they cannot yet compete with Cd-based QDs.…”

“…Although the addition of Zn to the synthesis of InP nanocrystals has become common practice in the last years, [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][21][22][23][24][25] very little has been reported on the actual role of the Zn. The few reports on this topic have focused on the effect on the optical properties, but structural aspects were not investigated.…”

Large-Scale Synthesis of Highly Luminescent InP@ZnS Quantum Dots Using Elemental Phosphorus Precursor

“…This is suitable for photovoltaic devices such as solar cells because it is advantageous to extract electrons by separating electrons and holes from each other. [9] Figure 4. Various types of core@shell structure [6] …”

“…[61][62][63] It is well-known that Zn 2+ ions effectively passivate the growth of InP QDs without diffusing into the InP lattice, thus improving the QD size distribution (Figure 10a). [64,65] To synthesize InP@ZnS QDs, zinc oleate and 1-dodecanethiol were subsequently added into the reaction mixture and aged. The ZnS shell coating significantly improved the photoluminescence (PL) properties of the QDs (Figure 10b).…”