Article
Optics
Dongke Li, Jiaming Chen, Teng Sun, Yangyi Zhang, Jun Xu, Wei Li, Kunji Chen
Summary: Phosphorus/boron co-doping in Si quantum dots/SiO2 multilayers enhances subband light emission, with increasing B co-doping ratio resulting in improved emission intensity nearly two orders of magnitude stronger than solely P-doped samples. This enhancement is attributed to B dopants passivating surface dangling bonds, leading to suppressed phosphorus-related deep level emission and appearance of emission centered around 1400 nm in high B co-doping ratios.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kil Ho Lee, Brenton A. Noesges, Chris McPherson, Faiz Khan, Leonard J. Brillson, Jessica O. Winter
Summary: This study investigated the fluorescence stability of quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated in block co-polymer (BCP) micelles under different synthesis methods and polymer structures. The fluorescence intensity of QDs passivated using charged BCPs was found to be lower than those passivated using neutral groups, due to surface oxidation of Cd to CdO. The fluorescence losses were higher in processes with slow formation speed, but minimized in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) surfactant. The results suggest that the polymer coating method and BCP structure influence the oxidation of QDs during phase transfer.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dongke Li, Jiaming Chen, Zhaoguo Xue, Teng Sun, Junnan Han, Wanghua Chen, Etienne Talbot, Remi Demoulin, Wei Li, Jun Xu, Kunji Chen
Summary: Understanding the distribution and behavior of dopants in silicon nanocrystals is crucial for achieving controllable doping at the nanoscale and developing next-generation optoelectronic devices. This study investigates the atomic-scale distributions of phosphorus and boron dopants in silicon nanocrystal multilayers. The results show that phosphorus dopants mainly concentrate on the surfaces of silicon nanocrystals to passivate dangling bonds and provide free electrons, while boron dopants exhibit a different distribution pattern, forming a dopant-shell covering on the surfaces of silicon nanocrystals and leading to damage in the crystalline lattice.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alfredo Morales-Sanchez, Maria Antonia Cardona-Castro, Liliana Licea-Jimenez, Liliana Palacios-Huerta, Antonio Coyopol, Sergio Alfonso Perez-Garcia, Jaime Alvarez-Quintana, Mario Moreno
Summary: In this work, a correlation between the composition and the microstructural and optical properties of luminescent porous silicon (PSi) films is shown. The use of nitric acid enhances the photoluminescence intensity of PSi samples. Changing the concentration ratio of the electrolyte solution can modify the size of silicon nanocrystals and the emission wavelength. These findings are important for understanding the properties and applications of PSi.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Timothy C. Siu, M. Imex Aguirre Cardenas, Jacob Seo, Kirllos Boctor, Miku G. Shimono, Isabelle T. Tran, Veronica Carta, Timothy A. Su
Summary: The first syntheses of functionalized sila-adamantanes via site-selective reactions are described. Mechanistic inquiry into the isomerization of sila-adamantane revealed new approaches for installing halides at the 2-position of the cluster. Optical absorbance and density functional theory studies show that sigma-withdrawing substituents at the 1-position strongly perturb optical absorbance in sila-adamantane.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yinfei Liao, Maoyan An, Xiaodong Hao, Xingwei Song, Zhe Yang, Hourui Ren, Zechen Liu
Summary: This study investigated the feasibility of using surface functionalized polystyrene nanoparticles as collectors for low rank coal flotation. Different nanoparticles were prepared and characterized, with TFPNs and HFPNs showing significant improvement in flotation recovery compared to PNs and diesel oil. The results suggest that the surface functionalization degree plays a crucial role in enhancing the performance of nanoparticles in LRC flotation.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Sarah Milliken, I. Teng Cheong, Kai Cui, Jonathan G. C. Veinot
Summary: B-doped silicon quantum dots with tunable size and surface chemistry are promising for targeted applications such as medical imaging and photovoltaic devices.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Optics
Muhammad Atif Makhdoom, Vito Sgobba, Iftikhar A. Channa, Nidia Ghewins
Summary: A novel method for producing silicon nanocrystals with an oxide-free surface is described. A cost-effective and safe chemical laboratory setup is presented for wet chemical etching of silicon oxide shell from the Si-NCs.
Article
Optics
Ronja Koethemann, Christian Golla, Hong Qu, Cedrik Meier
Summary: This study investigates the influence of gold nanoantennas on the photoluminescence signal of silicon nanocrystals. By integrating gold nanoantennas into a layered system containing silicon nanocrystals, the photoluminescence signal can be manipulated in terms of attenuation or enhancement. Additionally, the impact of grating coupling and the number of antennas per antenna array on the amplification of the photoluminescence signal is examined.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuping Xu, Yunzi Xin, Takashi Shirai
Summary: Visible photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals capped with hydrophobic surface were successfully synthesized using a novel one-step bottom-up approach. The synthesized Si NCs have an average size of 3.4 nm and exhibit visible photoluminescence with a high absolute quantum yield of 17%, possibly due to the efficient hydrophobic surface capping on the Si NCs.
COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kun-Che Kao, An-Chih Yang, Weixin Huang, Chengshuang Zhou, Emmett D. Goodman, Alexander Holm, Curtis W. Frank, Matteo Cargnello
Summary: The study demonstrates a general approach for depositing hydrophobic ligand-stabilized nanocrystals on hydrophilic oxide supports without ligand exchange, achieving high loadings. Surface functionalization of the supports with primary amine groups using organosilane or bonding with aminoalcohols significantly improves the interaction between nanocrystals and supports.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yize Su, Chenhao Wang, Zijian Hong, Wei Sun
Summary: Silicon nanocrystals have drawn significant attention in recent decades for their unique luminescent properties, with thermal disproportionation method offering precise control over their size and structure, showing promising industrial applications. Research has shown that factors such as temperature, Si/O ratio, and surface groups play a crucial role in determining the properties of silicon nanocrystals.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Olga A. Goryacheva, K. David Wegner, Aleksandr M. Sobolev, Ines Haeusler, Nikolai Gaponik, Irina Y. Goryacheva, Ute Resch-Genger
Summary: Light-emitting nanoparticles, known as quantum dots (QDs), have great potential for biosensing and bioimaging applications. However, their use in biological systems requires them to be water-dispersible without affecting their optical properties. In this study, researchers developed a new surface silanization method to preserve the optical properties of QDs and successfully prepared water-dispersible QDs.
ANALYTICAL AND BIOANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Haonan Cheng, Yunjie Yin, Bo Wang, Junrong Zhu, Chaoxia Wang
Summary: The synthesis of highly conductive poly(styrene)/poly(aniline) microspheres was explored using poly(styrene-co-methacrylic acid). The copolymer microspheres showed excellent electrical conductivity and potential for manufacturing conductive composites due to their low polymer dispersity index and high zeta-potential. The in-situ polymerization of aniline on the microspheres resulted in a highly conductive disc with superior electrical conductivity and low percolation threshold.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuanyuan Li, Xiaoyu Liu, Tianyuan Liang, Jiyang Fan
Summary: The surface of SiC quantum dots is a complex two-dimensional system with abundant surface reconstruction and passivation, affecting their chemistry and photophysics. This study reports the novel yellow fluorescence of colloidal SiC QDs in the quantum confinement regime, which decays much slower compared to previously observed blue-green fluorescence. The calculations show that the yellow fluorescence originates from trapped surface states at the Si=O bond, providing a better understanding of the surface properties of SiC QDs.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chuyi Ni, Yahao Huang, Tao Zeng, Daohong Chen, Hao Chen, Mingyang Wei, Andrew Johnston, Andrew H. Proppe, Zhijun Ning, Edward H. Sargent, Peng Hu, Zhenyu Yang
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yutong Wang, Huai Chen, Zhaoxia Huang, Mei Yang, Hailing Yu, Maochen Peng, Zhenyu Yang, Shoudeng Chen
Summary: The study identified a novel bacterial biomolecule that drives the synthesis of nanomaterials, with the mechanism of synthesis still unclear. Structural changes and the specificity of surface amino acids within the active sites were found to be crucial for the protein-driven synthesis of metal sulfide quantum dots, allowing for control over the size and morphology of the synthesized products through protein modification.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jingjian Zhou, Jing Huang, Huai Chen, Archana Samanta, Jan Linnros, Zhenyu Yang, Ilya Sychugov
Summary: The study presents a cost-effective method for synthesizing Si quantum dots with superior optical properties compared to those from other precursors, which could be beneficial for applications like photovoltaics.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xuebiao Deng, Xu Zheng, Tiange Yuan, Wenbo Sui, Yi Xie, Oleksandr Voznyy, Ying Wang, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: Silicane-based anodes show promise for lithium-ion battery applications due to their high theoretical specific capacity and excellent lithium diffusion properties. The surface functional groups and crystal evolution of silicane have a significant impact on the performance of lithium-ion batteries. The gradual conversion of silicane to suboxide-based amorphous structures during cycling enhances lithium diffusion efficiency and boosts specific capacity.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yingjie Chen, Wangzu Li, Yu Yao, Pratahdeep Gogoi, Xuebiao Deng, Yi Xie, Zhenyu Yang, Ying Wang, Yuguang C. Li
Summary: In this study, a zinc-air battery design with acidic oxygen reduction reaction is demonstrated for the first time using a bipolar membrane. The local acidic environment created by the membrane improves the oxygen reduction reaction activity and selectivity, while preventing carbonate formation and reducing CO2 adsorption. The insights from this work can be leveraged to develop a better zinc-air battery design for long-term energy storage applications.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ekadashi Pradhan, Guoying Yao, Zhenyu Yang, Tao Zeng
Summary: Heavy element compounds with high symmetries often have both spin-orbit coupling and vibronic coupling, particularly in systems with tetrahedral and octahedral symmetries. To accurately describe these interactions, high quality spin-orbit vibronic Hamiltonian operators are needed. This study presents a unified Hamiltonian formalism for spin-orbit vibronic interactions in all tetrahedral and octahedral symmetries, generating Hamiltonian expansion formulas of arbitrarily high order.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Guoying Yao, Liang Zhao, Tao Zeng, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: Reduced-dimensional (RD) perovskites have attractive properties for optoelectronic applications. However, the coexistence of different organic ligands commonly inhibits the formation of more complex crystal structures. In this study, a mixed-dimensional (MD) perovskite single crystal containing two types of sulfide-containing ligands was reported. X-ray diffraction confirmed the structure contains layered and isolated inorganic components. The MD perovskite showed an enlarged bandgap and isotropic optical features.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zilong Yuan, Liang Zhao, Ekadashi Pradhan, Ming Lai, Tao Zeng, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: This study reports the postsynthetic crystal transformation of two-dimensional metal halide perovskites (2D MHPs) through organothiol-based reactions in solution. The swift and complete crystal interconversion of large organic cations in three types of 2D MHPs under ambient conditions has been confirmed.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huai Chen, Mingyang Wei, Yantao He, Jehad Abed, Sam Teale, Edward H. Sargent, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: This study introduces Germanium Silicon Oxide (GSO) as a heavy-metal-free inorganic phosphor that exhibits color-tuned ultra-long phosphorescence and delayed fluorescence. GSO, prepared through a sol-gel processing strategy, demonstrates excellent materials stability and responsiveness to different stimuli for photoluminescence.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huai Chen, Jiang Xu, Yaping Wang, Da Wang, Raquel Ferrer-Espada, Yutong Wang, Jingjian Zhou, Adrian Pedrazo-Tardajos, Mei Yang, Jia-Heng Tan, Xiaoyu Yang, Lei Zhang, Ilya Sychugov, Shoudeng Chen, Sara Bals, Johan Paulsson, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: Fluorescent probes are essential for cell imaging. This study presents a novel method using silicon nanocrystals as probes, which can switch their emission color from red to blue upon contact with amino acids in live cells. These probes disperse only in the cytoplasm and their fluorescence intensity correlates linearly with amino acid concentration, making them promising tools for visualizing and quantifying amino acid-related processes in live cells.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ming Lai, Ying Zhang, Liang Zhao, Yu-Hua Huang, Lei Zhang, Wenlong Fu, Pu Chen, Xu-Dong Wang, Tingshun Zhu, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: Colloidal silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) have attracted significant attention in optoelectronics and biomedical applications. A metal-free method is demonstrated for directly functionalizing SiNCs with aryl-based ligands. This method allows efficient arylation on silicon surfaces under mild conditions and the resulting aryl-functionalized SiNCs exhibit strong blue emissions with nanosecond-scaled decay.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huai Chen, Yangyang Xiong, Jun Li, Jehad Abed, Da Wang, Adrian Pedrazo-Tardajos, Yueping Cao, Yiting Zhang, Ying Wang, Mohsen Shakouri, Qunfeng Xiao, Yongfeng Hu, Sara Bals, Edward H. H. Sargent, Cheng-Yong Su, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: This study reports an epitaxial growth method to construct Co single atoms on Si for light-driven CO2 reduction to syngas. By improving the dispersion of active sites and the efficient harvest of photons, the cobalt-on-silicon single-atom catalysts achieved a 10% external quantum efficiency for CO2-to-syngas conversion, with tunable H2/CO ratio between 0.8 and 2. This photocatalyst also achieved a turnover number of 2 x 10(4) for visible-light-driven CO2 reduction over 6 hours, which is over ten times higher than previously reported single-atom photocatalysts.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Physics, Condensed Matter
Xuebiao Deng, Huai Chen, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: Silicon nanomaterials have attracted tremendous interest due to their impressive optoelectronic responses, abundance, and biocompatibility. Among them, two-dimensional silicon stands out with its quantum-confined photoluminescence, high charge carrier mobilities, anisotropic electronic and magnetic response, and non-linear optical properties. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in the synthesis of two-dimensional silicon nanomaterials, surface ligand engineering, and their optoelectronic applications.
JOURNAL OF SEMICONDUCTORS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hushui Chen, Jie Chen, Liang Zhao, Tingshun Zhu, Zhenyu Yang
Summary: This new method significantly reduces the consumption of salts, solvents, and ligands for the preparation of PNCs, and can be extended to create various types of PNCs by changing the precursor compositions and metal components.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Isabel S. Curtis, Ryan J. Wills, Mita Dasog
Summary: By investigating the conditions of magnesiothermic reduction and synthesizing mesoporous silicon nanoparticles, it was found that mp-Si300 performed the best in photocatalytic hydrogen generation with the highest hydrogen evolution rate. Crystallinity has a significant impact on the performance of mp-Si photocatalysts, while high oxygen content and particle sintering lower hydrogen evolution rates. Aging under ambient conditions leads to continued surface oxidation, adversely affecting photocatalytic performance.
