Non-square-well potential profile and suppression of blinking in compositionally graded Cd(1-x)Zn(x)Se/Cd(x)Zn(1-x)Se nanocrystals

Nanoscale. 2010 May;2(5):728-33. doi: 10.1039/b9nr00322c. Epub 2010 Feb 5.

Abstract

Random blinking is a major problem on the way to successful applications of semiconducting nanocrystals in optoelectronics and photonics, which until recently had neither a practical solution nor a theoretical interpretation. An experimental breakthrough has recently been made by fabricating non-blinking Cd(1-x)Zn(x)Se/ZnSe graded nanocrystals [Wang et al., Nature, 2009, 459, 686]. Here, we (1) report an unequivocal and detailed theoretical investigation to understand the properties (e.g., profile) of the potential-well and the distribution of Zn content with respect to the nanocrystal radius and (2) develop a strategy to find the relationship between the photoluminescence (PL) energy peaks and the potential-well due to Zn distribution in nanocrystals. It is demonstrated that the non-square-well potential can be varied in such a way that one can indeed control the PL intensity and the energy-level difference (PL energy peaks) accurately. This implies that one can either suppress the blinking altogether, or alternatively, manipulate the PL energy peaks and intensities systematically to achieve a controlled non-random intermittent luminescence. The approach developed here is based on the ionization energy approximation and as such is generic and can be applied to any non-free-electron nanocrystals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cadmium / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Selenium / chemistry*
  • Thermodynamics
  • Zinc / chemistry*

Substances

  • Cadmium
  • Selenium
  • Zinc