Optical properties and electrical bistability of CdS nanoparticles synthesized in dodecanethiol

We reported the synthesis of CdS semiconductor nanoparticles using a simple one-pot reaction by thermolysis of cadmium acetylacetonate in dodecanethiol. Optical measurements of the as-obtained CdS nanoparticles revealed that their optical properties were closely related to surface effects. Based upon the cocktail of poly (N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and CdS nanoparticles, a bistable device was fabricated by a simple solution processing technique. Such a device exhibited a remarkable electrical bistability, which was attributed to the electric field-assisted charge transfer between PVK and the CdS nanoparticles capped by dodecaethiol. The conduction mechanism changed from an injection-controlled current to a bulk-controlled one during switching from OFF-state to ON-state.

Influence of dielectric properties of a substrate upon plasmon resonance spectrum of supported Ag nanoparticles

Plasmon resonance spectra of supported Ag nanoparticles are studied by depositing the particles on different substrates. It was found that the dielectric properties of the substrates have significant effects on the spectral line shape, except the resonance frequency. Beyond the plasmon resonance band, the spectral shape is mainly governed by the dielectric function, particularly its imaginary part, of the substrate. The plasmon resonance band, on the other hand, may be severely distorted if the substrate is absorbing strongly.

Enhanced photoluminescence of Nd2O3 nanoparticles modified with silane-coupling agent: Fluorescent resonance energy transfer analysis

A liquid laser medium with a lifetime of 492 mu s and a fluorescent quantum efficiency of 52.5% has been presented by stably dispersing dimethyl dichorosilane-modified Nd2O3 nanoparticles in dimethylsulfoxide. Its optical properties and mechanism were investigated and explained by fluorescence resonance energy transfer theory. The calculation result shows that the quenching of Nd-III F-4(3/2)-> I-4(11/2) transition via O-H vibrational excitation can be eventually neglected. The main reason is that the silane-coupling agent molecules remove the -OH groups on Nd2O3 nanoparticles and form a protective out layer. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Laser irradiation cell photothermal therapy assisted by gold nanoparticles

The strong absorption of gold nanoparticles in the visible spectral range allows the localized generation of heat in a volume of only a few tens of nanometer. The efficient conversion of strongly absorbed light by plasmonic gold nanoparticles to heat energy and their easy bioconjugation suggest that the gold nanoparticles can be used as selective photothermal agents in molecular cell targeting. The selective destruction of alkaline phosphatase, the permeabilization of the cell membrane and the selective killing of cells by laser irradiating gold nanoparticles were demonstrated. The potential of using this selective technique in molecularly targeted photothermal therapy and transfection is discussed.

Absorption and luminescence of the surface states in ZnS nanoparticles

A broad absorption band around 500 nm is observed in ZnS nanoparticles. The absorption becomes more intensive and shifts to the blue as the particle size is decreased. The absorption energy is lower than the band gap of the particles and is considered to be caused by the surface states. This assignment is supported by the results of the fluorescence and of the thermoluminescence of the surface states. Both the absorption and the fluorescence reveal that the surface states are size dependent. The glow peak of the semiconductor particles is not varied as much upon decreasing size, indicating the trap depth of the surface states is not sensitive to the particle size. Considering these results, a new model on the size dependence of the surface states is proposed, which may explain our observations reasonably. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.

Thermoluminescence of ZnS nanoparticles

The thermoluminescence (TL) of ZnS nanoparticles is reported. The TL intensity increases as the particle size is decreased. The consistency of the size dependence of the TL with that of the surface fluorescence indicates that the TL may be related to the surface states. TL may be caused by the recombination of carriers released from the surface states or defect sites by heating. Smaller particles have higher surface/volume ratio and more surface states, therefore contain more accessible carriers for TL. Besides, the carrier recombination rate increases upon decreasing size due to the increase of the overlap between the electron and hole wave functions. These two effects may make the TL increase upon decreasing size of the particles. The appearance of TL prior to any radiation reveals that trapped carriers have pre-existed. The investigation of TL may provide some useful information about the surface states that may explain the size dependence of the surface fluorescence. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.

Nd3+-doped LaF3 nanoparticles with a larger emission cross-section

A series of Nd3+-doped LaF3 nanoparticles with Nd3+ concentrations from 0.5 to 10 mol% were synthesized. The fluorescence intensity and lifetime of the nanoparticles at various Nd3+ doping concentration were investigated. The nanoparticles displayed strongest fluorescence intensity at 3 mol% Nd3+ concentration. Eighty-eight percentage quantum efficiency was obtained when the Nd3+ concentration was 0.5 mol%. Optical properties of nanoparticles were studied according to Judd-Ofelt theory. A larger emission cross-section, sigma(em), for F-4(3/2) -> I-4(11/2) transition of the Nd3+ ion was obtained as 3.21 x 10(-20) cm(2), which was two times of the currently reported value. The larger emission cross-section and strong fluorescence intensity demonstrate that these nanoparticles are promising materials for laser applications. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B. V.