Dynamics of light-induced charge transfer between carbon nanotube and CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals

The integration of semiconducting colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a single device presents a unique platform that combines optical flexibility with high charge carrying capability. These qualities are desirable in many applications such as photovoltaic cells, photocatalysis, and light sensors. Here, we present hybrid devices that incorporate various CdSe/CdS core/shell NCs, such as seeded quantum dots and asymmetric seeded nanorods (a-sNRs), with a single-wall CNT in a field-effect transistor geometry. We used electrical measurements to probe a light-induced charge transfer (LICT) between the CdSe/CdS NCs and the CNT. We investigate the effect of gate voltage on the LICT magnitude and temporal characteristics. Surprisingly, the measured photo-response depends on the gate voltage, and we observe both electrons and holes transfer from the a-sNRs to the CNT. Furthermore, a comparison between LICT measurements on different devices with different CNTs and NC types reveals that the charge transfer time is directly proportional to the shell-thickness around the CdSe core and inversely correlated with the NCs size. The recovery of the charge trapped inside the CdSe/CdS NCs is characterized by two distinct fast and slow relaxation times, which depend on the NCs size and CNT type. Although, the charge relaxation time is similar between the symmetric QDs and the asymmetric sNRs, the overall percentage of the remaining charge in the QDs is significantly larger than in the sNRs. Understanding both gate voltage and NCs size effect on the LICT processes can optimize the performance of optoelectronic devices.