Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Polyethylene-based composites containing high concentration of quantum dots

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Colloid and Polymer Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A simple approach of preparation of advanced fluorescent polyethylene (PE) composites containing the high concentration of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) was elaborated. The method is based on the infiltration of concentrated solution of QDs in octadecene into the films of porous stretched PE. A developed technique allowed one to introduce high concentration of QDs (15 wt%) into the polymer films. The composite films possess very bright fluorescence, high thermal stability, flexibility, and good mechanical properties. An annealing of the films enables to collapse porous structure and obtain stable, flexible, highly fluorescent, and transparent composite films. The developed approach enables to prepare materials promising for applications in optoelectronics and photonics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Scheme 1
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

References

  1. Jabbour GE, Sariciftci NS (2014) Electronic, optical and optoelectronic polymers and oligomers. Cambridge University Press

  2. Konstantatos G, Sargent EH (2013) Colloidal quantum dot optoelectronics and photovoltaics. Cambridge University Press

  3. Rogach A (2008) Semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots: synthesis, assembly, spectroscopy and applications. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Caruso F (2006) Colloids and colloid assemblies: synthesis, modification, organization and utilization of colloid particles. Wiley

  5. Meinardi F, Colombo A, Velizhanin KA, Simonutti R, Lorenzon M, Beverina L, Viswanatha R, Klimov VI, Brovelli S (2014) Large area luminescent solar concentrators based on “Stokes-shift-engineered” nanocrystals in mass polymerized polymethylmethacrylate matrix. Nat Photonics 8:392–399

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Pang L, Shen Y, Tetz K, Fainman Y (2005) MMA quantum dots composites fabricated via use of pre-Polymerization. Opt Express 13:44–49

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Min S-Y, Bang J, Park J, Lee C-L, Lee S, Park J-J, Jeong U, Kim S, Lee T-W (2014) Electrospun polymer/quantum dot composite fibers as down conversion phosphor layers for white light-emitting diodes. RSC Adv 4:11585–11589

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tamborra M, Striccoli M, Comparelli R, Curri ML, Petrella A, Agostiano A (2004) Optical properties of hybrid composites based on highly luminescent CdS nanocrystals in polymer. Nanotechnology 15:S240–S244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Cho Y-S, Kim Y-K, Kim SJ, Yi G-R (2013) Quantum-dot-embedded colloidal polymeric particles for white light-emitting-diode with high color rendering index. Mater Express 3:217–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wood V, Panzer MJ, Chen J, Bradley MS, Halpert JE, Bawendi MG, Bulovic V (2009) Inkjet-printed quantum dot-polymer composites for full-color AC-driven displays. Adv Mater 21:2151–2155

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Weaver J, Zakeri R, Aouadi S, Kohli P (2009) Synthesis and characterization of quantum dots-polymer composites. J Mater Chem 19:3198–3206

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Song H, Lee S (2007) Photoluminescent (CdSe)ZnS quantum dot-polymethylmethacrylate polymer composite thin films in the visible spectral range. Nanotechnology 18:055402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Cho S, Kwag J, Jeong S, Baek Y, Kim S (2013) Highly fluorescent and stable quantum dot-polymer-layered double hydroxide composites. Chem Mater 25:1071–1077

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. He X, Tan L, Wu X, Yan C, Chen D, Meng X, Tang F (2012) Electrospun quantum dots/polymer composite porous fibers for turn-on fluorescent detection of lactate dehydrogenase. J Mater Chem 22:18471–18478

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kim JH, Song WS, Yang H (2013) Color-converting bilayered composite plate of quantum-do-polymer for high-color rendering white light-emitting diode. Opt Lett 38:2885–2888

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Shi Y, Ma Z, Cui N, Liu Y, Hou X, Du W, Liu L, Gangsheng T (2014) In situ preparation of fluorescent CdTe quantum dots with small thiols and hyperbranched polymers as co-stabilizers. Nanoscale Res Lett 9:121–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Thorkelsson K, Nelson JH, Alivisatos AP, Xu T (2013) End-to-end alignment of nanorods in thin films. Nano Lett 13:4908–4913

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Han S, Li X, Wang Y, Sub C (2014) A core-shell Fe3O4 nanoparticle-CdTe quantum dot-molecularly imprinted polymer composite for recognition and separation of 4-nonylphenol. Anal Methods 6:2855–2861

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Zhou Y, Qu Z, Zeng Y, Zhou T, Shi G (2014) A novel composite of graphene quantum dots and molecularly imprinted polymer for fluorescent detection of paranitrophenol. Biosensors Bioelectr 52:317–323

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Lawrence WG, Thacker S, Palamakumbura S, Riley KJ, Nagarkar VV (2012) Quantum dot-organic polymer composite materials for radiation detection and imaging. Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions 59:215–221

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Yang G, Shen P, Tan K, Xia Y (2014) Quantum dots and polymer hybrid composites: new insights into fluorescence switch and turn-on anion sensing. Microchim Acta 181:607–613

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Bobrovsky A, Mochalov K, Oleinikov V, Sukhanova A, Prudnikau A, Artemyev M, Shibaev V, Nabiev I (2012) Optically and electrically controlled circularly polarized emission from cholesteric liquid crystal materials doped with semiconductor quantum dots. Adv Mater 24:6216–6222

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Mochalov K, Efimov A, Bobrovsky A, Agapov I, Chistyakov A, Oleinikov V, Sukhanova A, Nabiev I (2013) Combined scanning probe nanotomography and optical microspectroscopy: a correlative technique for 3D characterization of nanomaterials. ACS Nano 7:8953–8962

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bobrovsky A, Samokhvalov P, Shibaev V (2014) An effective method for preparation of stable LC composites with high concentration of quantum dots. Adv Opt Mater. doi:10.1002/adom.201400215

    Google Scholar 

  25. Silverstein MS, Cameron NR, Hillmyer MA (2011) Porous Polymers. Wiley

  26. Song Q, Cao S, Pritchard RH, Ghalei B, Al-Muhtase SA, Terentjev EM, Cheetham AK, Sivaniah E (2014) Controlled thermal oxidative crosslinking of polymers of intrinsic microporosity towards tunable molecular sieve membranes. Nature Commun. doi:10.1038/ncomms5813

    Google Scholar 

  27. El’yashevich GK, Kuryndin IS, Lavrentiev VK, Bobrovsky A, Bukǒsek V (2012) Porous structure, permeability and mechanical properties of microporous films of polyolefines. Solid State Physics (Russian) 54:1787–1796

    Google Scholar 

  28. Bobrovsky A, Shibaev V, Elyashevitch G, Shimkin A, Shirinyan V (2007) Photooptical properties of polymer composites based on stretched porous polyethylene filled with photoactive cholesteric liquid crystal. Liq Cryst 34:791–797

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Bobrovsky A, Shibaev V, Elyashevitch G (2008) Photopatternable fluorescent polymer composites based on stretched porous polyethylene and photopolymerizable liquid crystal mixture. J Mater Chem 18:691–695

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Bobrovsky A, Shibaev V, Elyashevitch G, Rosova E, Shimkin A, Shirinyan V, Bubnov A, Kaspar M, Hamplova V, Glogarova M (2008) New photosensitive polymer composites based on oriented porous polyethylene filled with azobenzene-containing LC mixture: reversible photomodulation of dichroism and birefringence. Liq Cryst 35:533–539

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Bobrovsky A, Shibaev V, Elyashevich G, Rosova E, Shimkin A, Shirinyan V, Cheng K-L (2010) Photochromic composites based on porous stretched polyethylene filled by nematic liquid crystal mixtures. Polym Adv Techn 21:100–112

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Ryabchun A, Bobrovsky A, Stumpe J, Shibaev V (2012) Novel generation of liquid crystalline photo-actuators based on stretched porous polyethylene films. Macromol Rapid Commun 33:991–997

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Bobrovsky A, Shibaev V, Cigl M, Hamplova V, Hampl F, Elyashevitch G (2014) Photochromic LC–polymer composites containing azobenzene chromophores with thermally stable Z-isomers. J Mater Chem C 2:4482–4489

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Sukhanova A, Venteo L, Devy J, Artemyev M, Oleinikov V, Pluot M, Nabiev I (2002) Highly stable fluorescent nanocrystals as a novel class of labels for immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Lab Invest 82:1259–1261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Revaux A, Dantelle G, Decanini D, Guillemot F, Haghiri-Gosnet A-M, Weisbuch C, Boilot J-P, Gacoin T, Benisty H (2011) Photonic crystal patterning of luminescent sol–gel films for light extraction. Nanotechnology 22:365701–3657112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Dantelle G, Fleury B, Boilot J-P, Gacoin T (2013) How to prepare the brightest luminescent coatings? ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 5:11315–11320

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Russian Foundation of Fundamental Research (13-03-00219 and 13-03-12071; preparation of PE films and PE-QDs composites), Russian Science Foundation (14-13-00379; study of optical and fluorescent properties of composites), and Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Russian Federation (grant no. 14.575.21.0065 ID RFMEFI57514X0065). The authors are very thankful to Dr. M. Artemiev for the QD synthesis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, Russia, 119991

    Alexey Bobrovsky & Valery Shibaev

  2. Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Bolshoi pr. 31, St. Petersburg, Russia, 199004

    Galina Elyashevitch

  3. Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 117871

    Konstantin Mochalov & Vladimir Oleynikov

  4. Laboratory of Nano-bioengineering, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, National Research Nuclear University, Moscow, Russian Federation, 115409

    Konstantin Mochalov & Vladimir Oleynikov

Authors
  1. Alexey Bobrovsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Valery Shibaev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Galina Elyashevitch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Konstantin Mochalov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Vladimir Oleynikov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexey Bobrovsky.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bobrovsky, A., Shibaev, V., Elyashevitch, G. et al. Polyethylene-based composites containing high concentration of quantum dots. Colloid Polym Sci 293, 1545–1551 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-015-3551-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-015-3551-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation