A Versatile Route to Assemble Semiconductor Nanoparticles into Functional Aerogels by Means of Trivalent Cations

authored by

Dániel Zámbó, Anja Schlosser, Pascal Rusch, Franziska Lübkemann, Julian Koch, Herbert Pfnür, Nadja C Bigall

Abstract

3D nanoparticle assemblies offer a unique platform to enhance and extend the functionality and optical/electrical properties of individual nanoparticles. Especially, a self-supported, voluminous, and porous macroscopic material built up from interconnected semiconductor nanoparticles provides new possibilities in the field of sensing, optoelectronics, and photovoltaics. Herein, a method is demonstrated for assembling semiconductor nanoparticle systems containing building blocks possessing different composition, size, shape, and surface ligands. The method is based on the controlled destabilization of the particles triggered by trivalent cations (Y3+ , Yb3+ , and Al3+ ). The effect of the cations is investigated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The macroscopic, self-supported aerogels consist of the hyperbranched network of interconnected CdSe/CdS dot-in-rods, or CdSe/CdS as well as CdSe/CdTe core-crown nanoplatelets is used to demonstrate the versatility of the procedure. The non-oxidative assembly method takes place at room temperature without thermal activation in several hours and preserves the shape and the fluorescence of the building blocks. The assembled nanoparticle network provides longer exciton lifetimes with retained photoluminescence quantum yields, that make these nanostructured materials a perfect platform for novel multifunctional 3D networks in sensing. Various sets of photoelectrochemical measurements on the interconnected semiconductor nanorod structures also reveal the enhanced charge carrier separation.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry
Section Catalysis and Membranes
Institute of Solid State Physics
PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering - Innovation Across Disciplines

Type

Article

Journal

Small

Volume

16

No. of pages

12

ISSN

1613-6810

Publication date

23.04.2020

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemistry(all), Materials Science(all), Biotechnology, Biomaterials

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201906934 (Access: Open)