Highly luminescent water-soluble CdTe quantum dots

Abstract

Colloidal CdTe quantum dots prepared in TOP/DDA (trioctylphosphine/dodecylamine) are transferred into water by the use of aminoethanethiol.HCl (AET) or mercaptopropionic acid (MPA). This results in an increase in the photoluminescence quantum efficiency and a longer exciton lifetime. For the first time, water-soluble semiconductor nanocrystals presenting simultaneously high band-edge photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (as high as 60% at room temperature), monoexponential exciton decays, and no observable defect-related emission are obtained.