Skip to main content
Article
Hybrid nanostructures of well-organized arrays of colloidal quantum dots and a self-assembled monolayer of gold nanoparticles for enhanced fluorescence
Nanotechnology (2016)
  • Xiaoying Liu, University of Chicago
  • Sean P. McBride, Marshall University
  • Heinrich M Jaeger, University of Chicago
  • Paul F Nealy, University of Chicago
Abstract
Hybrid nanomaterials comprised of well-organized arrays of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) in close proximity to metal nanoparticles (NPs) represent an appealing system for high-performance, spectrum-tunable photon sources with controlled photoluminescence. Experimental realization of such materials requires well-defined QD arrays and precisely controlled QD–metal interspacing. This long-standing challenge is tackled through a strategy that synergistically combines lateral confinement and vertical stacking. Lithographically generated nanoscale patterns with tailored surface chemistry confine the QDs into well-organized arrays with high selectivity through chemical pattern directed assembly, while subsequent coating with a monolayer of close-packed Au NPs introduces the plasmonic component for fluorescence enhancement. The results show uniform fluorescence emission in large-area ordered arrays for the fabricated QD structures and demonstrate five-fold fluorescence amplification for red, yellow, and green QDs in the presence of the Au NP monolayer. Encapsulation of QDs with a silica shell is shown to extend the design space for reliable QD/metal coupling with stronger enhancement of 11 times through the tuning of QD–metal spatial separation. This approach provides new opportunities for designing hybrid nanomaterials with tailored array structures and multiple functionalities for applications such as multiplexed optical coding, color display, and quantum transduction.
Keywords
  • Hybrid,
  • nanoparticles,
  • self-assembly,
  • fluorescence,
  • well-organized arrays
Publication Date
Summer June 2, 2016
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/27/28/285301
Citation Information
Xiaoying Liu, Sean P. McBride, Heinrich M Jaeger and Paul F Nealy. "Hybrid nanostructures of well-organized arrays of colloidal quantum dots and a self-assembled monolayer of gold nanoparticles for enhanced fluorescence" Nanotechnology Vol. 27 Iss. 28 (2016) p. 285301
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/sean-mcbride/12/