Highly Luminescent Covalently Linked Silicon Nanocrystal/Polystyrene Hybrid Functional Materials: Synthesis, Properties, and Processability

Silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) have received much attention because of their exquisitely tunable photoluminescent response, biocompatibility, and the promise that they may supplant their CdSe quantum dot counterparts in many practical applications. One attractive strategy that promises to extend and e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced functional materials 2014-03, Vol.24 (10), p.1345-1353
Main Authors: Yang, Zhenyu, Dasog, Mita, Dobbie, Alexander R., Lockwood, Ross, Zhi, Yanyan, Meldrum, Al, Veinot, Jonathan G. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Architecture
Cadmium selenides
Nanocrystals
Nanostructure
Photoluminescence
polystyrene
Polystyrene resins
Semiconductors
Silicon
silicon nanocrystals
surface functionalization
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Summary:Silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) have received much attention because of their exquisitely tunable photoluminescent response, biocompatibility, and the promise that they may supplant their CdSe quantum dot counterparts in many practical applications. One attractive strategy that promises to extend and even enhance the utility of SiNCs is their incorporation into NC/polymer hybrids. Unfortunately, methods employed to prepare hybrid materials of this type from traditional compound semiconductor (e.g., CdSe) quantum dots are not directly transferable to SiNCs because of stark differences in surface chemistry. Herein, the preparation of chemically resistant SiNC/polystyrene hybrids exhibiting exquisitely tunable photoluminescence is reported and material processability is demonstrated by preparing micro and nanoscale architectures. Highly luminescent, solution processable silicon nanocrystals/polystyrene hybrid materials are synthesized using size‐independent radical‐initiated hydrosilylation. Combining the properties of nanocrystals with polymer significantly increases solubility and processability, provides the opportunity to fabricate uniform nano‐ and microscale architectures, and renders silicon particles chemically resistant to prolonged exposure to strongly basic conditions.
ISSN:1616-301X
1616-3028
DOI:10.1002/adfm.201302091