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Large-Area Ordered Quantum-Dot Monolayers via Phase Separation During Spin-Casting†

  1. S. Coe-Sullivan1,‡,
  2. J. S. Steckel2,‡,
  3. W.-K. Woo2,
  4. M. G. Bawendi2,
  5. V. Bulović1

Article first published online: 13 APR 2005

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.200400468

Issue

Advanced Functional Materials

Advanced Functional Materials

Volume 15, Issue 7, pages 1117–1124, July, 2005

Additional Information

How to Cite

Coe-Sullivan, S., Steckel, J. S., Woo, W.-K., Bawendi, M. G. and Bulović, V. (2005), Large-Area Ordered Quantum-Dot Monolayers via Phase Separation During Spin-Casting. Adv. Funct. Mater., 15: 1117–1124. doi: 10.1002/adfm.200400468

Author Information

  1. 1

    Laboratory of Organic Optics and Electronics, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

  1. ‡

    These authors contributed equally to this work.

  1. †

    The authors thank Sung-Hoon Kang for valuable discussions, and Don Zehnder and Quantum Dot Corporation for providing the materials used in Figure 8. This research was funded in part by the U.S. Army through the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, under Contract DAAD-19-02-0002 with the U.S. Army Research Office. This work made use of MRSEC Shared Facilities supported by the National Science Foundation (DMR 0213282).

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 4 JUL 2005
  2. Article first published online: 13 APR 2005
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 10 DEC 2004
  4. Manuscript Received: 8 OCT 2004

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Keywords:

  • Colloidal crystals;
  • Light-emitting devices;
  • Nanoparticles, inorganic;
  • Quantum dots;
  • Self-assembly;
  • Thin films

Abstract

We investigate a new method for forming large-area (> cm2) ordered monolayers of colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs). The QD thin films are formed in a single step by spin-casting a mixed solution of aromatic organic materials and aliphatically capped QDs. The two different materials phase separate during solvent drying, and for a predefined set of conditions the QDs can assemble into hexagonally close-packed crystalline domains. We demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of this phase-separation process, as well as how the properties of the resulting films can be controlled in a precise and repeatable manner. Solution concentration, solvent ratio, QD size distribution, and QD aspect ratio affect the morphology of the cast thin-film structure. Controlling all of these factors allows the creation of colloidal-crystal domains that are square micrometers in size, containing tens of thousands of individual nanocrystals per grain. Such fabrication of large-area, engineered layers of nanoscale materials brings the beneficial properties of inorganic QDs into the realm of nanotechnology. For example, this technique has already enabled significant improvements in the performance of QD light-emitting devices.

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