Non-wettable, Oxidation-Stable, Brightly Luminescent, Perfluorodecyl-Capped Silicon Nanocrystal Film

Abstract

Here we describe for the first time the synthesis of colloidally stable, brightly luminescent per­fluoro­decyl-capped silicon nano­crystals and compare the properties of solutions and films made from them with those of their per­hydro­decyl-capped relatives. The per­fluoro­decyl capping group compared to the per­hydro­decyl capping group yields superior hydro­phobicity and much greater resistance to air oxidation, the enhanced electron-withdrawing character induces blue shifts in the wavelength of photo­lumin­escence, and the lower-frequency carbon–fluorine stretching modes disfavor non-radiative relaxation pathways and boost the absolute photo­lumin­escence quantum yield. Together these attributes bode well for advanced materials and biomedical applications founded upon per­fluoro­decyl-protected silicon nanocrystals