Diameter distribution by deconvolution (DdD): Absorption spectra as a practical tool for semiconductor nanoparticle PSD determination

Semiconductor nanoparticles (SNPs) are excellent candidates for various applications in fields like solar cells, light emitting diodes or sensors. Their size strongly determines their properties, thus characterizing their size is crucial for applications. In most cases, they are included in complex...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Onna, Diego Ariel, Perez Ipiña, Ignacio Martin, Fernández Casafuz, Agustina, Mayoral, Álvaro, Ibarra García, M. Ricardo, Aldabe, Sara Alfonsina, Martinez Ricci, Maria Luz
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/121648
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/121648
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Q-dots
size distribution
exciton
mesoporous oxides
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.4
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:Semiconductor nanoparticles (SNPs) are excellent candidates for various applications in fields like solar cells, light emitting diodes or sensors. Their size strongly determines their properties, thus characterizing their size is crucial for applications. In most cases, they are included in complex matrices which make it difficult to determine their average diameter and statistical distribution. In this work, we present a non-destructive, cheap and in situ procedure to calculate particle size distributions (PSDs) of SNPs in different media based on deconvolution of the absorbance spectrum with a database of the absorbance spectra of SNPs with different sizes. The method was validated against the SNP sizes obtained from transmission microscopy images, showing excellent agreement between both distributions. In particular, CdS SNPs embedded in mesoporous thin films were analyzed in detail. Additional composite systems were studied in order to extend the method to SNPs in polymers or bacteria, proving that it applies to several SNPs in diverse matrices. The PSDs obtained from the proposed method do not show any statistical difference with the one derived from TEM images. Finally, a web app that implements the methodology of this work has been developed.