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Silica-encapsulated CdTe/MPA quantum dots: microstructural, thermal, and chemical stability characterization

Journal of Nanoparticle Research volume 19, Article number: 250 (2017) Cite this article

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the synthesis of silica-encapsulated CdTe/MPA quantum dot (QD) nanocomposites (CdTe/MPA@SiO2) at room temperature starting from water-soluble CdTe QDs capped with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as surface ligand (CdTe/MPA), followed by their encapsulation with a thin layer of silica using the sol–gel process. The objective of this work was to evaluate the microstructural, thermal, and chemical properties of the encapsulated material as a way to evaluate these characteristics for possible applications in different technological areas. Transmission electron microscopy results proved that CdTe QDs (2.5 nm in size) were inside the SiO2 nanoparticles, and the spherical CdTe/MPA@SiO2 nanocomposite with a 69-nm thick shell. The photoluminescence intensity was evaluated as a function of pH in the range of 2–12. The CdTe/MPA@SiO2 nanocomposite showed better chemical stability and greater intensity of photoluminescence in the pH 2–12 range than CdTe/MPA. In addition, the CdTe/MPA@SiO2 nanocomposites showed good heat stability up to 125 °C. The changes in their optical properties were also evaluated by means of photoluminescence spectroscopy. The materials were also characterized by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). This work is a research project in collaboration with members of the Rede Mineira de Química (RQ-MG), supported by FAPEMIG (Project: CEX-RED-00010-14). They also thank UNIFRAN for scanning electron microscopy measurements and the Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia (LNNano) for the transmission electron microscopy measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Pesquisa em Química de Materiais - GPQM, Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Campus Dom Bosco, Praça Dom Helvécio, 74, São João del-Rei, Minas Gerais, CEP, 36301-160, Brazil

    Letícia Gazola Tartuci, Luis Fernando T. Domingos, Kayo Oliveira Vieira, Ellen Raphael, Brener R. C. Vale, Jefferson Luiz Ferrari & Marco Antônio Schiavon

  2. Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais, Campinas, SP, CEP 13083-970, Brazil

    Jefferson Bettini

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  1. Letícia Gazola Tartuci
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  2. Luis Fernando T. Domingos
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  3. Jefferson Bettini
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  4. Kayo Oliveira Vieira
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  8. Marco Antônio Schiavon
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Correspondence to Marco Antônio Schiavon.

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Tartuci, L.G., Domingos, L.F.T., Bettini, J. et al. Silica-encapsulated CdTe/MPA quantum dots: microstructural, thermal, and chemical stability characterization. J Nanopart Res 19, 250 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-3947-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-3947-y

Keywords

  • Quantum dots
  • CdTe/MPA@SiO2
  • Nanocomposites
  • Nanostructures
  • Silica shell
  • Luminescent materials