DOE OSTI · 3017077
Colloidal Germanium Quantum Dots with Broadly Tunable Size and Light Emission
Abstract
Germanium (Ge) colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized by thermal decomposition of GeI 2 using capping ligand mixtures of oleylamine (OAm), octadecene (ODE), and trioctylphosphine (TOP). Average diameters could be tuned across a wide range, from 3 to 18 nm, by adjusting reactant concentrations, heating rates, and reaction temperatures. OAm promotes decomposition of GeI 2 to Ge and serves as a weakly bound capping ligand. ODE displaces OAm during the reaction to terminate particle growth and prevent surface oxidation. TOP is necessary for obtaining nanocrystals larger than 11 nm. In conclusion, the Ge CQDs have relatively narrow size distributions and exhibit size-dependent, band-edge photoluminescence (PL), with peak energies from 0.8 to 1.34 eV, across a wide spectral range in the infrared (IR).
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Noh, Jungchul [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)], Kim, Hyun Gyung [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)], Houck, Daniel W. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000235830595), Shah, Tushti [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000273341979), Zhang, Yangning [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:000000015511955X), Brumberg, Alexandra [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000325124686), Schaller, Richard D. [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)], Korgel, Brian A. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] (ORCID:0000000162427526). 2025-01-03. Colloidal Germanium Quantum Dots with Broadly Tunable Size and Light Emission. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c13692
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