| Syntheses, characterizations, and applications of two different Mn-doped semiconductor nanocrystals, ZnS:Mn and CdS:Mn/ZnS core/shell, were investigated.; ZnS:Mn nanocrystals with sizes between 3 and 4 nm were synthesized via a competitive reaction chemistry. A direct current (dc) electroluminescent (EL) device having a hybrid organic/inorganic multilayer structure of an indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conducting electrode, a (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) and a poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) bilayer hole transport film, a ZnS:Mn nanocrystal layer, and Al dot contacts was demonstrated to emit blue (∼445 and ∼495 nm) from PVK and yellow (∼600 nm) light from Mn activator in ZnS. The EL emission spectrum was dependent upon both the voltage and Mn concentration, showing a decreasing nanocrystal to PVK emission ratio from 10 at 20 V to 4 at 28 V, and an increasing ratio from 1.3 at 0.40 mol % to 4.3 at 2.14 mol %.; Mn-doped CdS core nanocrystals were produced ranging from 1.5 to 2.3 nm in diameter with a ZnS shell via a reverse micelle process. In contrast to CdS:Mn nanocrystals passivated by n-dodecanethiol, ZnS-passivated CdS:Mn (CdS:Mn/ZnS core/shell) nanocrystals were efficient and photostable. CdS:Mn/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals exhibited a quantum yield of ∼18%, and the photoluminescence (PL) intensity increased by 40% after 400 nm UV irradiation in air. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data showed that UV irradiation of CdS:Mn/ZnS nanocrystals induces the photooxidation of the ZnS shell surface to ZnSO4. This photooxidation product is presumably responsible for the increased PL emission by serving as a passivating surface layer. Luminescent lifetime data from the core/shell nanocrystals could be fit with two exponential functions, with a time constant of ∼170 nsec for the defect-related centers and of ∼1 msec for the Mn centers.; The CdS:Mn/ZnS nanocrystals with a core crystal diameter of 2.3 nm and a 0.4 nm thick ZnS shell were used as an electroluminescent material. EL devices were tested having a hybrid organic/inorganic multilayer structure of ITO//PEDOT-PSS//conjugated polymer//CdS:Mn/ZnS nanocrystal//Al. Orange from PVK device and green EL emission from poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) device were observed, respectively. These observations are shown to be consistent with the energy level diagrams of the EL devices.; The CdS:Mn/ZnS core/shell quantum dots are not water-soluble because of their hydrophobicity. Silica-overcoated CdS:Mn/ZnS quantum dots were synthesized to create water-soluble quantum dots. The amorphous and porous silica layer did not significantly modify the optical and photophysical properties of CdS:Mn/ZnS quantum dots. |
