The different nature of band edge absorption and emission in colloidal pbse/cdse core/shell quantum dots

We present a quantitative analysis of the absorption and luminescence of colloidal PbSe/CdSe core/shell quantum dots (QDs). In absorption, both the energy and the oscillator strength of the first exciton transition coincide with that of plain PbSe QDs. In contrast, luminescence lifetime measurements indicate that the oscillator strength of the emitting transition is reduced by at least a factor of 4 compared to PbSe core QDs. Moreover, the addition of an electron scavenger quenches the PbSe/CdSe emission, while a hole scavenger does not. This implies that the electron wave function reaches the QD surface, while the hole is confined to the PbSe core. These observations are consistent with calculations based on the effective mass model, which show that PbSe/CdSe QDs are at the boundary between the type-I and quasi-type-II regime, where the electron spreads over the entire nanoparticle and the hole remains confined in the PbSe core. However, as this only leads to a minor reduction of the oscillator strength, it follows that the drastic reduction of the oscillator strength in emission cannot be explained in terms of electron delocalization. In combination with the increased Stokes shift for PbSe/CdSe QDs, this indicates that the emission results from lower energy states that are fundamentally different from the absorbing states

Heavy metals and sulphur in mosses from southern Spitsbergen

Concentrations of Cd, Pb. Ni, Cu. Zn and S were determined in 16 moss species collected from 9 localities in southern Spitsbergen (mostly within the Hornsund region). Two species, Sanionia uncinata and Hylocomium splendens, were objects of more thorough studies. In Sanionia uncinata the mean concentrations were (ug/g): Cd-0.59, Pb-7.07, Ni-4.25, Cu-6.01. Zn-21.13 and S- 1, 481. Hylocomium splendent accumulated similar quantities of these elements. The concentrations of metals and sulphur in mosses differed significantly {p0.05) from site to site, depending on geological and climatic conditions specific to the Arctic region. The effect of remote sources of pollution reaching Spitsbergen on the levels of heavy metal concentrations was taken into account, as well as the effect of local emissions from the Polish Polar Station. At 10-25 metre distances from the Station, the levels of heavy metals and sulphur were 3-10 times higher than at a 300-metre distance