Block Copolymer-Templated Au@CdSe Core-Satellite Nanostructures with Solvent-Dependent Optical Properties

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Sajan Singh - , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Labeesh Kumar - , Chair of Physical Chemistry of Polymeric Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Andriy Horechyy - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Olha Aftenieva - , Chair of Physical Chemistry of Polymeric Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Mona Mittal - , Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (Author)
  • Sunita Sanwaria - , University of Delhi (Author)
  • Rajiv K. Srivastava - , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) (Author)
  • Tobias A.F. König - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Andreas Fery - , Chair of Physical Chemistry of Polymeric Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Bhanu Nandan - , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) (Author)

Abstract

In the present work, we report the fabrication and characterization of well-defined core-satellite nanostructures. These nanostructures comprise block copolymer (BCP) micelles, containing a single gold nanoparticle (AuNP) in the core and multiple photoluminescent cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots (QDs) attached to the micelle’s coronal chains. The asymmetric polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) BCP was employed to develop these core-satellite nanostructures in a series of P4VP-selective alcoholic solvents. The BCP micelles were first prepared in 1-propanol and subsequently mixed with AuNPs, followed by gradual addition of CdSe QDs. This method resulted in the development of spherical micelles that contained a PS/Au core and a P4VP/CdSe shell. These core-satellite nanostructures, developed in different alcoholic solvents, were further employed for the time-resolved photoluminescence analysis. It was found that solvent-selective swelling of the core-satellite nanostructures tunes the distance between the QDs and AuNPs and modulates their Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) behavior. The average lifetime of the donor emission varied from 12.3 to 10.3 nanoseconds (ns) with the change in the P4VP-selective solvent within the core-satellite nanostructures. Furthermore, the distances between the donor and acceptor were also calculated using efficiency measurements and corresponding Förster distances. The resulting core-satellite nanostructures hold promising potential in various fields, such as photonics, optoelectronics, and sensors that utilize the FRET process.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6231-6239
Number of pages9
JournalLangmuir
Volume39
Issue number17
Publication statusPublished - 2 May 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 37074843
WOS 000974597700001

Keywords

Keywords

  • Quantum dots, Enhanced photoluminescence, Energy-transfer, Semiconductor, Assemblies, Resonance, Nanoparticles, Luminescence, Morphologies, Micelles