Issue 16, 2011

Colloidal Si nanocrystals: a controlled organic–inorganic interface and its implications of color-tuning and chemical design toward sophisticated architectures

Abstract

The optical use of colloidal silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) has gained increasing attention for its possible contributions to building a sustainable society that ideally uses resources and energy with high efficiency without causing damage to the environment or human health. Si wafers (Eg ≈ 1.1 eV) dominate modern microelectronics as an impressive electronic material, but they exhibit relatively poor optical performance owing to an indirect bandgap structure. Interestingly, however, full control of the size distribution and surface chemistry of the NCs yields size-dependent light emission in a very wide range from near-ultraviolet through visible to near-infrared wavelengths. In addition to such unique luminescence properties, Si exhibits a high chemical affinity to covalent linkages with carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, thereby producing almost unlimited variations in organic–Si NCs architectures hybridized at the molecular level. To achieve this goal, I note some parameters, including interfacial chemistry, that are emerging as important elements for increasing our understanding of the effect of quantum confinement in nanostructured Si and for realizing efficient fluorescence emission. This article covers new aspects of derivatives of Si NCs in applications that utilize their optical absorption and emission features.

Graphical abstract: Colloidal Si nanocrystals: a controlled organic–inorganic interface and its implications of color-tuning and chemical design toward sophisticated architectures

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
24 Nov 2010
Accepted
17 Feb 2011
First published
22 Mar 2011

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011,13, 7284-7294

Colloidal Si nanocrystals: a controlled organic–inorganic interface and its implications of color-tuning and chemical design toward sophisticated architectures

N. Shirahata, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 7284 DOI: 10.1039/C0CP02647F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements