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Full Paper
Photoluminenscence Blinking Dynamics of Colloidal Quantum Dots in the Presence of Controlled External Electron Traps
Article first published online: 7 NOV 2011
DOI: 10.1002/smll.201101643
Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Additional Information
How to Cite
Xu, Z. and Cotlet, M. (2012), Photoluminenscence Blinking Dynamics of Colloidal Quantum Dots in the Presence of Controlled External Electron Traps. Small, 8: 253–258. doi: 10.1002/smll.201101643
Publication History
- Issue published online: 16 JAN 2012
- Article first published online: 7 NOV 2011
- Manuscript Received: 12 AUG 2011
Keywords:
- colloidal quantum dots;
- charge traps;
- photoluminescence blinking;
- electron transfer;
- single-particle spectroscopy
Abstract
The effect of the external charge trap on the photoluminescence blinking dynamics of individual colloidal quantum dots is investigated with a series of colloidal quantum dot–bridge–fullerene dimers with varying bridge lengths, where the fullerene moiety acts as a well-defined, well-positioned external charge trap. It is found that charge transfer followed by charge recombination is an important mechanism in determining the blinking behavior of quantum dots when the external trap is properly coupled with the excited state of the quantum dot, leading to a quasi-continuous distribution of ‘on' states and an early fall-off from a power-law distribution for both ‘on' and ‘off' times associated with quantum dot photoluminescence blinking.