Anisotropy of electron-phonon interaction in nanoscale CdSe platelets as seen via off-resonant and resonant Raman spectroscopy

The off-resonant and resonant Raman spectra of optical phonons in colloidal CdSe nanoplatelets (NPLs) with the thickness of 4, 5, and 6 CdSe monolayers are analyzed. These spectra are dominated by SO and LO phonon bands of CdSe whose frequencies are thickness independent in the off-resonant Raman but demonstrate evident thickness dependence similar to that observed for confined optical phonons in CdSe quantum dots in the resonant Raman. The results show that conventional optical phonons propagating along the NPL lateral planes contribute mainly to the off-resonant Raman while confined optical phonons propagating in the perpendicular direction dominate the Raman spectra excited in the resonance with confined exciton transitions of CdSe NPLs. An anisotropic electron-phonon interaction is proposed to be responsible for this effect in the CdSe NPLs. A formation of Cd-S monolayer on the surface of CdSe NPLs treated by thiol-containing ligands is also detected in Raman spectra.