Control of the direction of energy transfer in associates of colloidal quantum dots Ag₂S/TGA and dye molecules

Voronezh State University, Department of optics and spectroscopy, 394018 Voronezh, Russia

^* Corresponding author: Ovchinnikov_O_V@rambler.ru

Published online: 26 September 2018

Abstract

The possibilities for changing the direction of energy transfer in hybrid associates of colloidal Ag₂S quantum dots (QDs) and thionine molecules are analyzed. The studies were performed by transmission electron microscopy, absorption and luminescence spectroscopy, PL decay study (time correlated single photon counting). An increasing of the average QDs size from 1.8 nm to 5.5 nm, and also a shift of the luminescence band from 630 nm to 950 nm, were found at using of TGA molecules and sodium sulfide as a sulfur precursor. Hybrid association of QDs (1.8 nm) with TH⁺ molecules leads to quenching of QDs luminescence with a simultaneous reduction of the luminescence lifetime from 13.7 to 6.5 ns. An association of QDs with a luminescence band maximum of 950 nm with TH⁺ molecules leads to quenching of TH⁺ luminescence and a reduction in its lifetime of luminescence from 0.43 to 0.3 ns. It was concluded that the reduction of lifetime of luminescence caused by the resonant nonradiative energy transfer between the components of the associates. An increasing in the average size of QDs leads to a change in the direction of energy transfer between the components of the associates.