The Microemulsion Synthesis of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Silicon Nanocrystals

Silicon nanocrystals, also called quantum dots, have unique optical properties when in the quantum‐confinement regime. These optical properties make silicon nanocrystals promising materials for a wide variety of applications ranging from optoelectronic devices to fluorophores in biological imaging....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2006-08, Vol.18 (15), p.2053-2056
Main Authors: Tilley, R. D., Yamamoto, K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cells
Emulsions
Imaging
Nanocrystals
Nanocrystals, semiconductor
semiconductor
Silicon
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Summary:Silicon nanocrystals, also called quantum dots, have unique optical properties when in the quantum‐confinement regime. These optical properties make silicon nanocrystals promising materials for a wide variety of applications ranging from optoelectronic devices to fluorophores in biological imaging. A liquid‐phase synthetic approach is reported using surfactant molecules to control particle growth, producing highly monodisperse silicon particles. The surface of the nanocrystals are capped by functional organic molecules that passivate and protect the silicon particles from oxidation, enabling the particles to be used in hydrophobic and hydrophilic applications. The use of hydrophilic silicon quantum dots as optical probes is illustrated by the imaging of Vero cells. A simple method for producing uniformly sized nanometer‐scale silicon nanocrystals in inverse micelles with powerful hydride reducing agents is reviewed. The small, monodisperse nanocrystals produce a sharp blue photoluminescence (see figure) resulting from direct bandgap emission. The surface properties of the silicon nanocrystals can be controlled to produce hydrophobic or hydrophilic particles, with an example application in biological imaging presented.
ISSN:0935-9648
1521-4095
DOI:10.1002/adma.200600118