LAUSR

The effects of Ag doping of CdSe and CdSe/CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been studied as a function of the surface composition. Throughout these studies, static and time-resolved luminescence and transient absorption measurements are used to determine the nature and rates of radiationless decay mechanisms and how these vary with the concentration of Ag dopants. In tributylphosphine-ligated CdSe, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) varies nonmonotonically with dopant concentration, increasing at low concentrations of Ag+ then decreasing with further addition. The initial increase is assigned to the passivation of preexisting surface hole traps by interaction of interstitial Ag+ with surface Se2– ions, whereas the subsequent decrease is due to the introduction of substitutional Ag+ dopants, which act as a new source of hole traps. Ligation of the particle surface with alkyl amines largely passivates the surface hole traps and thereby eliminates the initial increase in PL QY upon doping. CdSe/CdS QDs li...