Resolving the source of blue luminescence from alkyl-capped silicon nanoparticles synthesized by laser pulse ablation

Abstract

Photoluminescence from alkyl-capped silicon nanoparticles (Si NPs) synthesized by laser ablation of silicon in 1-octene is found to originate from two distinct species: narrowband UV-emitting alkyl-capped Si NPs and broadly tuneable (350–500 nm) emission associated with a solvent by-product. Our results demonstrate the need to effectively separate solvent by-products, a step which is often overlooked in ablation studies, before characterizing the optical properties of ablation-synthesized NPs for luminescence applications.