Web Release Date: January 4,
Effects of Carbon Nanotubes on Photoluminescence Properties of Quantum Dots
and
Department of Bio-nano-Science and Engineering, National Key Laboratory of Nano/Micro Fabrication Technology, Key Laboratory for Thin Film and Micro fabrication of Ministry of Education, Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521, and Electrical Engineering Department, University of California Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, California 92521
Received: December 25, 2006
In Final Form: September 6, 2007
Abstract:
The effects of carbon nanotubes (CNT) with different surface groups on the luminescence properties of
mercaptoacetic acid-capped CdSe quantum dots (QD) are reported. Carboxyl-, hydroxyl-, and amine-modified
CNTs are used to interact with water-soluble luminescent mercaptoacetic acid-capped CdSe QDs. TEM and
-potential analysis results show that CNT and QDs can be assembled into complex nanostructure by
electrostatic interaction. The photoluminescence (PL) quenching of QDs caused by CNTs can be described
by a Stern-Volmer-type equation as well as by a double-logarithmic equation. Significant differences in the
values of binding constants KSV and Kb were found in these experiments. The binding constant for amine-terminated CNT is much higher compared to that of carboxyl- and hydroxyl-terminated CNTs. Dynamic
quenching and photoluminescence resonance energy transfer between QDs and CNTs should be responsible
for the quenching of photoluminescence emissions of QDs caused by CNTs with different groups. The strategy
shown in this paper may be useful for creating a novel methodology for investigating intermolecular interaction,
and the quenching phenomena may be used as selective molecular probes and developed as fluorescence
sensors.
Download the full text: PDF | HTML
