Open Access Nano Review

Quantum dots coordinated with conjugated organic ligands: new nanomaterials with novel photophysics

Nathan I Hammer1*, Todd Emrick2 and Michael D Barnes1

Author Affiliations

1 Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

2 Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

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Nanoscale Research Letters 2007, 2:282-290 doi:10.1007/s11671-007-9062-8

Published: 6 June 2007

Abstract

CdSe quantum dots functionalized with oligo-(phenylene vinylene) (OPV) ligands (CdSe-OPV nanostructures) represent a new class of composite nanomaterials with significantly modified photophysics relative to bulk blends or isolated components. Single-molecule spectroscopy on these species have revealed novel photophysics such as enhanced energy transfer, spectral stability, and strongly modified excited state lifetimes and blinking statistics. Here, we review the role of ligands in quantum dot applications and summarize some of our recent efforts probing energy and charge transfer in hybrid CdSe-OPV composite nanostructures.

Keywords:
Single molecule spectroscopy; Hybrid nanomaterial; Quantum dot; Blinking; Conjugated polymer; Energy transfer; Charge transfer; Photovoltaic; Atomic force microscope