Electric Field Influence on the Recombination Luminescence of the Colloidal Silver Sulfide Quantum Dots

Abstract

The paper studies the effect of external electric field on the optical properties of the spherical Ag2S quantum dots. Colloidal Ag2S nanoparticles passivated with 2-mercaptopropionic acid were obtained by photoinduced synthesis in the ethylene glycol. The nanoparticles shape and characteristic size were determined using the transmission electron microscopy. To analyze the external electric field influence, a series of samples was prepared based on the optically passive polymer film, where the nanoparticles were embedded. The films were placed between two glasses coated with the transparent electrodes based on the indium tin oxide (ITO). Intensity value of the external electric field created in such structures reached 500 kV/cm. The photoluminescence signal was registered using the CCD fiber spectrometer with spectral resolution of 1.16 nm. Spectrally resolved nanoparticles photoluminescence kinetics was measured by time-corre-lated counting of the separate photons. It was found that the presence of a field led to an increase in intensity and rate of the photoluminescence relaxation due to the surface states. This fact is related to acceleration of the free holes transportation to the recombination centers in the external electric field. It is shown that under long-term exposure to laser radiation with a wavelength of 405 nm and the average power of 5 mW, the nanocrystal photoluminescent properties could degrade, as it occurs due to formation of new centers of non-radiative recombination and photoionization of the quantum dots