Silanization of Plasma-Grown Silicon Quantum Dots for Production of a Tunable, Stable, Colloidal Solution

Nanomaterials have the potential to revolutionize photovoltaics with the promise of new physics, novel architectures and low cost synthesis. Silicon quantum dots, relative to their II-VI counterparts, are understudied due to the difficulty of solution synthesis and chemical passivation. However, silicon is still an attractive solar cell material, providing an optimal band gap, low toxicity, and a very solid body of physical understanding of bulk silicon to draw from. We have synthesized silicon quantum dots with plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and have developed a method for chemical passivation of these silicon quantum dots that can be used on particles created in a variety of ways. This versatile method utilizes oxidation via wet chemical etch and subsequent siloxane bond formation. The attachment of a silane to the SiOx shell leads to stability of the silicon core for over a month in air, and individual particles can be seen with TEM; thus a stable, colloidal suspension is formed. The future for this technique, including increasing quantum yield of the particles by changing the nature of the oxide, will be discussed.