Issue 39, 2017

Long-lived luminescence of silicon nanocrystals: from principles to applications

Abstract

Silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) synthesized by plasma-induced or high temperature processes (e.g., thermal disproportionation of hydrogen silsesquioxane at T > 1100 °C) display bright (photoluminescence quantum yield up to 70%) and long-lived luminescence (hundreds of μs), which can be tuned from green to red and near-infra-red spectral regions according to nanocrystal dimensions. The present review focuses on the parameters affecting the optical properties of these SiNCs, namely size, shape, surface, degree of crystallinity, and on a method to increase their brightness by functionalising SiNCs with dyes to build up a light-harvesting antenna. The final discussion presents some of the most recent examples of applications, which take advantage of the luminescence properties of SiNCs: energy conversion devices, sensors, and bioimaging probes.

Graphical abstract: Long-lived luminescence of silicon nanocrystals: from principles to applications

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
01 Aug. 2017
Accepted
11 Sept. 2017
First published
28 Sept. 2017

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017,19, 26507-26526

Long-lived luminescence of silicon nanocrystals: from principles to applications

R. Mazzaro, F. Romano and P. Ceroni, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 26507 DOI: 10.1039/C7CP05208A

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