All-Inorganic Germanium Nanocrystal Films by Cationic Ligand Exchange

Nathan Neale; Matthew Beard; Lance Wheeler; Asa Nichols; Boris Chernomordik; Nicholas Anderson

doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b05192

All-Inorganic Germanium Nanocrystal Films by Cationic Ligand Exchange

Nathan Neale, Matthew Beard, Lance Wheeler, Asa Nichols, Boris Chernomordik, Nicholas Anderson

Chemistry and Nanoscience

West Virginia Wesleyan College

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

31 Scopus Citations

Abstract

We introduce a new paradigm for group IV nanocrystal surface chemistry based on room temperature surface activation that enables ionic ligand exchange. Germanium nanocrystals synthesized in a gas-phase plasma reactor are functionalized with labile, cationic alkylammonium ligands rather than with traditional covalently bound groups. We employ Fourier transform infrared and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies to demonstrate the alkylammonium ligands are freely exchanged on the germanium nanocrystal surface with a variety of cationic ligands, including short inorganic ligands such as ammonium and alkali metal cations. This ionic ligand exchange chemistry is used to demonstrate enhanced transport in germanium nanocrystal films following ligand exchange as well as the first photovoltaic device based on an all-inorganic germanium nanocrystal absorber layer cast from solution. This new ligand chemistry should accelerate progress in utilizing germanium and other group IV nanocrystals for optoelectronic applications.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	1949-1954
Number of pages	6
Journal	Nano Letters
Volume	16
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b05192 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b05192
State	Published - 9 Mar 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Chemical Society.

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-5900-65566

Keywords

Germanium nanocrystal
inorganic ligand
ligand exchange
plasma synthesis
quantum dot

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title = "All-Inorganic Germanium Nanocrystal Films by Cationic Ligand Exchange",

abstract = "We introduce a new paradigm for group IV nanocrystal surface chemistry based on room temperature surface activation that enables ionic ligand exchange. Germanium nanocrystals synthesized in a gas-phase plasma reactor are functionalized with labile, cationic alkylammonium ligands rather than with traditional covalently bound groups. We employ Fourier transform infrared and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies to demonstrate the alkylammonium ligands are freely exchanged on the germanium nanocrystal surface with a variety of cationic ligands, including short inorganic ligands such as ammonium and alkali metal cations. This ionic ligand exchange chemistry is used to demonstrate enhanced transport in germanium nanocrystal films following ligand exchange as well as the first photovoltaic device based on an all-inorganic germanium nanocrystal absorber layer cast from solution. This new ligand chemistry should accelerate progress in utilizing germanium and other group IV nanocrystals for optoelectronic applications.",

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AU - Neale, Nathan

AU - Beard, Matthew

AU - Wheeler, Lance

AU - Nichols, Asa

AU - Chernomordik, Boris

AU - Anderson, Nicholas

PY - 2016/3/9

Y1 - 2016/3/9

N2 - We introduce a new paradigm for group IV nanocrystal surface chemistry based on room temperature surface activation that enables ionic ligand exchange. Germanium nanocrystals synthesized in a gas-phase plasma reactor are functionalized with labile, cationic alkylammonium ligands rather than with traditional covalently bound groups. We employ Fourier transform infrared and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies to demonstrate the alkylammonium ligands are freely exchanged on the germanium nanocrystal surface with a variety of cationic ligands, including short inorganic ligands such as ammonium and alkali metal cations. This ionic ligand exchange chemistry is used to demonstrate enhanced transport in germanium nanocrystal films following ligand exchange as well as the first photovoltaic device based on an all-inorganic germanium nanocrystal absorber layer cast from solution. This new ligand chemistry should accelerate progress in utilizing germanium and other group IV nanocrystals for optoelectronic applications.

AB - We introduce a new paradigm for group IV nanocrystal surface chemistry based on room temperature surface activation that enables ionic ligand exchange. Germanium nanocrystals synthesized in a gas-phase plasma reactor are functionalized with labile, cationic alkylammonium ligands rather than with traditional covalently bound groups. We employ Fourier transform infrared and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies to demonstrate the alkylammonium ligands are freely exchanged on the germanium nanocrystal surface with a variety of cationic ligands, including short inorganic ligands such as ammonium and alkali metal cations. This ionic ligand exchange chemistry is used to demonstrate enhanced transport in germanium nanocrystal films following ligand exchange as well as the first photovoltaic device based on an all-inorganic germanium nanocrystal absorber layer cast from solution. This new ligand chemistry should accelerate progress in utilizing germanium and other group IV nanocrystals for optoelectronic applications.

KW - Germanium nanocrystal

KW - inorganic ligand

KW - ligand exchange

KW - plasma synthesis

KW - quantum dot

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DO - 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b05192

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SN - 1530-6984

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SP - 1949

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JO - Nano Letters

JF - Nano Letters

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ER -

All-Inorganic Germanium Nanocrystal Films by Cationic Ligand Exchange

Abstract

Bibliographical note

NREL Publication Number

Keywords

UN SDGs

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