Abstract
Zinc oxide (ZnO) quantum dots (QDs) stabilized/functionalized with oleic acid and core-shelled with silicon dioxide (SiO2) are presented. A colloidal route, free surfactant was followed to synthesize ZnO QDs with an average size of 5 nm. After, the ZnO QDs were stabilized with oleic acid to avoid aggregation followed by (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane functionalization. The X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy results indicated that the ZnO QD size and morphology did not suffer any change after functionalization. In addition, the photoluminescence measurements showed a strong green emission band related to particle size and the shell formation. Moreover, the quantum yield and z potential values were determined and the results showed an enhanced for those ZnO@SiO2 samples with 10 wt% of shell precursor. In this research, we report a high relationship between the stability and photoluminescence properties with the shell precursor concentration. Furthermore, we have developed a reliable method to obtain functionalized ZnO QDs which offer a great potential for future use as photoemission devices such as photonics, photocatalytic activities, biomedicine, optoelectronic devices, and chemical sensing.
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Pérez-Cuapio, R., Alvarado, J.A., Pacio, M. et al. Enhanced green photoluminescence and dispersion of ZnO quantum dots shelled by a silica shell. J Nanopart Res 22, 254 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-04985-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-020-04985-6