Characterization of the ZnSe/ZnS Core Shell Quantum Dots Synthesized at Various Temperature Conditions and the Water Soluble ZnSe/ZnS Quantum Dot

ZnSe/ZnS, UV-blue luminescent core shell quantum dots, were synthesized via a thermal decomposition reaction of organometallic zinc and solvent coordinated Selenium (TOPSe) in a hot solvent mixture. The synthetic conditions of the core (ZnSe) and the shell (ZnS) were independently studied at various reaction temperature conditions. The obtained colloidal nanocrystals at corresponding temperatures were characterized for their optical properties by UV-vis, room temperature solution photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and further obtained powders were characterized by XRD, TEM, and EDXS analyses. The synthetic temperature condition to obtain the best PL emission intensity for the ZnSe core was 300 ${^{\circ}C}$, and for the optimum shell capping, the temperature was 135 ${^{\circ}C}$. At this temperature, solution PL spectrum showed a narrow emission peak at 427 nm with a PL efficiency of 15%. In addition, the measured particle sizes for the ZnSe/ZnS nanocomposite via TEM were in the range of 5 to 12 nm. Furthermore, we have synthesized water-soluble ZnSe/ZnS nanoparticles by capping the ZnSe/ZnS hydrophobic surface with mercaptoacetate (MAA) molecules. For the obtained aqueous colloidal solution, the UV-vis spectrum showed an absorption peak at 250 nm, and the solution PL emission spectrum showed a peak at 425 nm, which is similar to that for hydrophobic quantum dot ZnSe/ZnS. However, the calculated PL efficiency was relatively low (0.1%) due to the luminescence quenching by water and MAA molecules. The capping ligand was also characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, with the carbonyl stretching peak in the mercaptoacetate molecule appearing at 1575 $cm ^{-1}$. Finally, the particle sizes of the MAA capped ZnSe/ZnS were measured by TEM, showing a range of 12 to 17 nm.