Nano Express
Photoluminescence enhancement of quantum dots on Ag nanoneedles
1 Department of Nano Fusion Technology, College of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Pusan National University, Miryang, 627-706, Korea
2 National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Busan, 619-705, Korea
3 Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya Suruga-ku, Shizuoka, 422-8529, Japan
Nanoscale Research Letters 2012, 7:438 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-7-438
Published: 7 August 2012Abstract
Noble metal nanostructure allows us to tune optical and electrical properties, which has high utility for real-world application. We studied surface plasmon-induced emission of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) on engineered metallic nanostructures. Highly passive organic ZnS-capped CdSe QDs were spin-coated on poly-(methyl methacrylate)-covered Ag films, which brought QDs near the metallic surface. We obtained the enhanced electromagnetic field and reduced fluorescence lifetimes from CdSe/ZnS QDs due to the strong coupling of emitter wave function with the Ag plasmon resonance. Observed changes include a six-fold increase in the fluorescence intensity and striking reduction in fluorescence lifetimes of CdSe/ZnS QDs on rough Ag nanoneedle compared to the case of smooth surfaces. The advantages of using those nanocomposites are expected for high-efficiency light-emitting diodes, platform fabrication of biological and environmental monitoring, and high-contrast imaging.
