Cation exchange mediated synthesis of bright Au@ZnTe core-shell nanocrystals

Sadeghi S., Melikov R., ŞAHİN M., Nizamoglu S.

NANOTECHNOLOGY, vol.32, no.2, 2021 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 32 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2021
  • Doi Number: 10.1088/1361-6528/abbb02
  • Journal Name: NANOTECHNOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, PASCAL, Aerospace Database, Biotechnology Research Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, EMBASE, INSPEC, MEDLINE, Metadex, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: non-epitaxial, photoluminescence quantum yield, Au@ZnTe, core-shell, nanocrystals, PHOTOLUMINESCENCE ENHANCEMENT, CORE/SHELL, GROWTH, AG, NANOPARTICLES
  • Abdullah Gül University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The synthesis of heterostructured core-shell nanocrystals has attracted significant attention due to their wide range of applications in energy, medicine and environment. To further extend the possible nanostructures, non-epitaxial growth is introduced to form heterostructures with large lattice mismatches, which cannot be achieved by classical epitaxial growth techniques. Here, we report the synthetic procedure of Au@ZnTe core-shell nanostructures by cation exchange reaction for the first time. For that, bimetallic Au@Ag heterostructures were synthesized by using PDDA as stabilizer and shape-controller. Then, by addition of Te and Zn precursors in a step-wise reaction, the zinc and silver cation exchange was performed and Au@ZnTe nanocrystals were obtained. Structural and optical characterization confirmed the formation of the Au@ZnTe nanocrystals. The optimization of the synthesis led to the bright nanocrystals with a photoluminescence quantum yield up to 27%. The non-toxic, versatile synthetic route, and bright emission of the synthesized Au@ZnTe nanocrystals offer significant potential for future bio-imaging and optoelectronic applications.