173 research outputs found
Synthesis and Manipulation of Semiconductor Nanocrystals inMicrofluidic Reactors
Microfluidic reactors are investigated as a mechanism tocontrol the growth of semiconductor nanocrystals and characterize thestructural evolution of colloidal quantum dots. Due to their shortdiffusion lengths, low thermal masses, and predictable fluid dynamics,microfluidic devices can be used to quickly and reproducibly alterreaction conditions such as concentration, temperature, and reactiontime, while allowing for rapid reagent mixing and productcharacterization. These features are particularly useful for colloidalnanocrystal reactions, which scale poorly and are difficult to controland characterize in bulk fluids. To demonstrate the capabilities ofnanoparticle microreactors, a size series of spherical CdSe nanocrystalswas synthesized at high temperature in a continuous-flow, microfabricatedglass reactor. Nanocrystal diameters are reproducibly controlled bysystematically altering reaction parameters such as the temperature,concentration, and reaction time. Microreactors with finer control overtemperature and reagent mixing were designed to synthesize nanoparticlesof different shapes, such as rods, tetrapods, and hollow shells. The twomajor challenges observed with continuous flow reactors are thedeposition of particles on channel walls and the broad distribution ofresidence times that result from laminar flow. To alleviate theseproblems, I designed and fabricated liquid-liquid segmented flowmicroreactors in which the reaction precursors are encapsulated inflowing droplets suspended in an immiscible carrier fluid. The synthesisof CdSe nanocrystals in such microreactors exhibited reduced depositionand residence time distributions while enabling the rapid screening aseries of samples isolated in nL droplets. Microfluidic reactors werealso designed to modify the composition of existing nanocrystals andcharacterize the kinetics of such reactions. The millisecond kinetics ofthe CdSe-to-Ag2Se nanocrystal cation exchange reaction are measured insitu with micro-X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy in silicon microreactorsspecifically designed for rapid mixing and time-resolved X-rayspectroscopy. These results demonstrate that microreactors are valuablefor controlling and characterizing a wide range of reactions in nLvolumes even when nanoscale particles, high temperatures, causticreagents, and rapid time scales are involved. These experiments providethe foundation for future microfluidic investigations into the mechanismsof nanocrystal growth, crystal phase evolution, and heterostructureassembly
Characterizing the Quantum Confined Stark Effect in Semiconductor Quantum Dots and Nanorods for Single-Molecule Electrophysiology
We optimized the performance of quantum confined Stark effect QCSE based
voltage nanosensors. A high throughput approach for single particle QCSE
characterization was developed and utilized to screen a library of such
nanosensors. Type II ZnSe CdS seeded nanorods were found to have the best
performance among the different nanosensors evaluated in this work. The degree
of correlation between intensity changes and spectral changes of the excitons
emission under applied field was characterized. An upper limit for the temporal
response of individual ZnSe CdS nanorods to voltage modulation was
characterized by high throughput, high temporal resolution intensity
measurements using a novel photon counting camera. The measured 3.5 us response
time is limited by the voltage modulation electronics and represents about 30
times higher bandwidth than needed for recording an action potential in a
neuron.Comment: 36 pages, 6 figure
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Ultralow-threshold, continuous-wave upconverting lasing from subwavelength plasmons.
Miniaturized lasers are an emerging platform for generating coherent light for quantum photonics, in vivo cellular imaging, solid-state lighting and fast three-dimensional sensing in smartphones1-3. Continuous-wave lasing at room temperature is critical for integration with opto-electronic devices and optimal modulation of optical interactions4,5. Plasmonic nanocavities integrated with gain can generate coherent light at subwavelength scales6-9, beyond the diffraction limit that constrains mode volumes in dielectric cavities such as semiconducting nanowires10,11. However, insufficient gain with respect to losses and thermal instabilities in nanocavities has limited all nanoscale lasers to pulsed pump sources and/or low-temperature operation6-9,12-15. Here, we show continuous-wave upconverting lasing at room temperature with record-low thresholds and high photostability from subwavelength plasmons. We achieve selective, single-mode lasing from Yb3+/Er3+-co-doped upconverting nanoparticles conformally coated on Ag nanopillar arrays that support a single, sharp lattice plasmon cavity mode and greater than wavelength λ/20 field confinement in the vertical dimension. The intense electromagnetic near-fields localized in the vicinity of the nanopillars result in a threshold of 70 W cm-2, orders of magnitude lower than other small lasers. Our plasmon-nanoarray upconverting lasers provide directional, ultra-stable output at visible frequencies under near-infrared pumping, even after six hours of constant operation, which offers prospects in previously unrealizable applications of coherent nanoscale light
A generalized approach to photon avalanche upconversion in luminescent nanocrystals
Photon avalanching nanoparticles (ANPs) exhibit extremely nonlinear
upconverted emission valuable for sub-diffraction imaging, nanoscale sensing,
and optical computing. Avalanching has been demonstrated with Tm3+, Nd3+ or
Pr3+-doped nanocrystals, but their emission is limited to 600 and 800 nm,
restricting applications. Here, we utilize Gd3+-assisted energy migration to
tune the emission wavelengths of Tm3+-sensitized ANPs and generate highly
nonlinear emission of Eu3+, Tb3+, Ho3+, and Er3+ ions. The upconversion
intensities of these spectrally discrete ANPs scale with the nonlinearity
factor s = 10-17 under 1064 nm excitation at power densities as low as 6
kW/cm2. This strategy for imprinting avalanche behavior on remote emitters can
be extended to fluorophores adjacent to ANPs, as we demonstrate with
CdS/CdSe/CdS core/shell/shell quantum dots. ANPs with rationally designed
energy transfer networks provide the means to transform conventional linear
emitters into a highly nonlinear ones, expanding the use of photon avalanching
in biological, chemical, and photonic applications.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure
Expanding the I-II-V Phase Space: Soft Synthesis of Polytypic Ternary and Binary Zinc Antimonides
Soft chemistry methods offer the possibility of synthesizing metastable and kinetic products that are unobtainable through thermodynamically-controlled, high-temperature reactions. A recent solution-phase exploration of Li-Zn-Sb phase space revealed a previously unknown cubic half-Heusler MgAgAs-type LiZnSb polytype. Interestingly, this new cubic phase was calculated to be the most thermodynamically stable, despite prior literature reporting only two other ternary phases (the hexagonal half-Heusler LiGaGe-type LiZnSb, and the full-Heusler Li2ZnSb). This surprising discovery, coupled with the intriguing optoelectronic and transport properties of many antimony containing Zintl phases, required a thorough exploration of syn-thetic parameters. Here, we systematically study the effects that different precursor concentrations, injection order, nucleation and growth temperatures, and reaction time have on the solution-phase synthesis of these materials. By doing so, we identify conditions that selectively yield several unique ternary (c-LiZnSb vs. h*-LiZnSb), binary (ZnSb vs. Zn8Sb7), and metallic (Zn, Sb) products. Further, we find one of the ternary phases adopts a variant of the previously observed hexagonal LiZnSb struc-ture. Our results demonstrate the utility of low temperature solution phase—soft synthesis—methods in accessing and mining a rich phase space. We anticipate that this work will motivate further exploration of multinary I-II-V compounds, as well as encourage similarly thorough investigations of related Zintl systems by solution phase methods
Millisecond Kinetics of Nanocrystal Cation Exchange UsingMicrofluidic X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy
We describe the use of a flow-focusing microfluidic reactorto measure the kinetics of theCdSe-to-Ag2Se nanocrystal cation exchangereaction using micro-X-ray absorption spectroscopy (mu XAS). The smallmicroreactor dimensions facilitate the millisecond mixing of CdSenanocrystal and Ag+ reactant solutions, and the transposition of thereaction time onto spatial coordinates enables the in situ observation ofthe millisecond reaction with mu XAS. XAS spectra show the progression ofCdSe nanocrystals to Ag2Se over the course of 100 ms without the presenceof long-lived intermediates. These results, along with supporting stoppedflow absorption experiments, suggest that this nanocrystal cationexchange reaction is highly efficient and provide insight into how thereaction progresses in individual particles. This experiment illustratesthe value and potential of in situ microfluidic X-ray synchrotrontechniques for detailed studies of the millisecond structuraltransformations of nanoparticles and other solution-phase reactions inwhich diffusive mixing initiates changes in local bond structures oroxidation states
Giant nonlinear optical responses from photon avalanching nanoparticles
Avalanche phenomena leverage steeply nonlinear dynamics to generate
disproportionately high responses from small perturbations and are found in a
multitude of events and materials, enabling technologies including optical
phase-conjugate imaging, infrared quantum counting, and efficient upconverted
lasing. However, the photon avalanching (PA) mechanism underlying these optical
innovations has been observed only in bulk materials and aggregates, and
typically at cryogenic temperatures, limiting its utility and impact. Here, we
report the realization of PA at room temperature in single
nanostructures--small, Tm-doped upconverting nanocrystals--and demonstrate
their use in superresolution imaging at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths within
spectral windows of maximal biological transparency. Avalanching nanoparticles
(ANPs) can be pumped by continuous-wave or pulsed lasers and exhibit all of the
defining features of PA. These hallmarks include excitation power thresholds,
long rise time at threshold, and a dominant excited-state absorption that is
>13,000x larger than ground-state absorption. Beyond the avalanching threshold,
ANP emission scales nonlinearly with the 26th power of pump intensity. This
enables the realization of photon-avalanche single-beam superresolution imaging
(PASSI), achieving sub-70 nm spatial resolution using only simple scanning
confocal microscopy and before any computational analysis. Pairing their steep
nonlinearity with existing superresolution techniques and computational
methods, ANPs allow for imaging with higher resolution and at ca. 100-fold
lower excitation intensities than is possible with other probes. The low PA
threshold and exceptional photostability of ANPs also suggest their utility in
a diverse array of applications including sub-wavelength bioimaging, IR
detection, temperature and pressure transduction, neuromorphic computing, and
quantum optics.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
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