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Physicochemical properties of hybrid graphene–lead sulfide quantum dots prepared by supercritical ethanol

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Abstract

Recently, hybrid graphene–quantum dot systems have attracted increasing attention for the next-generation optoelectronic devices such as ultrafast photo-detectors and solar energy harvesting. In this paper, a novel, one-step, reproducible, and solution-processed method is introduced to prepare hybrid graphene–PbS colloids by employing supercritical ethanol. In the hybrid nanocomposite, PbS quantum dots (~3 nm) are decorated on the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets (~1 nm thickness and less than 1 micron lengths). By employing X-ray photoelectron and Raman and infrared spectroscopy techniques, it is shown that the rGO nanosheets are bonded to PbS nanocrystals through carboxylic bonds. Passivation of {111} planes of PbS quantum dots with rGO nanosheets is demonstrated by employing density function theory. Quenching of the photoluminescence emission of PbS nanocrystals through coupling with graphene sheets is also shown. In order to illustrate that the developed preparation method does not impair the quantum efficiency of the PbS nanocrystals, the photovoltaic efficiency of solar cell device is reported and compared with oleic acid-capped PbS colloidal quantum dot solar cells. By employing the “Hall effect” measurement, it is shown that the carrier mobility is significantly increased (by two orders of magnitudes) in the presence of graphene nanosheets.

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Article Open access 09 February 2016

Md. Sajibul Alam Bhuyan, Md. Nizam Uddin, … Sayed Shafayat Hossain

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 14588, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Mahdi Tavakoli, Abdolreza Simchi & Hossein Aashuri

  2. Department of Energy, Sharif University of Technology, 14588, Tehran, Iran

    Ahmad Tayyebi & Mohmmad Outokesh

  3. Institute for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Sharif University of Technology, 14588, Tehran, Iran

    Abdolreza Simchi

  4. Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Mohammad Mahdi Tavakoli & Zhiyong Fan

Authors
  1. Mohammad Mahdi Tavakoli
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  2. Ahmad Tayyebi
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  3. Abdolreza Simchi
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  4. Hossein Aashuri
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  5. Mohmmad Outokesh
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  6. Zhiyong Fan
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Correspondence to Abdolreza Simchi.

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Tavakoli, M.M., Tayyebi, A., Simchi, A. et al. Physicochemical properties of hybrid graphene–lead sulfide quantum dots prepared by supercritical ethanol. J Nanopart Res 17, 9 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2854-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2854-8

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