Due to the increasing need for the use of safer nanomaterials in the electronic and optoelectronic sectors, there is a growing emphasis on the development of less-toxic quantum dots (QD) as replacements for traditional cadmium or lead-based QD technologies. Although the ternary Cu-In-S (CIS) QDs have gained prominence due to their advantageous optical properties and unique tunability, their intrinsically defective structures present some drawbacks for device applications. A one-pot, high-throughput process was developed to synthesize quaternary Zn-Cu-In-S (ZCIS) QDs, which show higher structural crystallinity and lattice stability. Stoichiometric variation was explored to determine its impact on QD optical and structural properties. It was found that the trial-cationic structure of the quaternary ZCIS QDs allowed further variation and flexibility of QD properties. Induction of Cu deficiency via In- or Zn-excess precursor ratios improved photoluminescence (PL) intensity and structural stability. ZnS overcoating was investigated, but it was found that the Zn-containing ZCIS cores, which are more stable than core CIS QDs, benefitted only minimally from Zn-passivation. The highly emissive quaternary QDs produced through this scalable synthesis procedure are widely tunable and functionalizable, capable of emission from 564-650 nm, and with a high lifetime up to 159 ns, making them more suitable for a variety of device applications.

中文翻译：

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毒性较小的四元 ZnCuInS 量子点的发射和衰变寿命可调性


由于电子和光电领域对使用更安全的纳米材料的需求不断增加，人们越来越重视开发毒性较小的量子点 (QD) 作为传统镉或铅基 QD 技术的替代品。尽管三元 Cu-In-S (CIS) 量子点因其有利的光学特性和独特的可调谐性而受到关注，但其固有的缺陷结构给器件应用带来了一些缺点。开发了一种一锅法高通量工艺来合成四元 Zn-Cu-In-S (ZCIS) 量子点，该量子点具有更高的结构结晶度和晶格稳定性。研究了化学计量变化以确定其对量子点光学和结构特性的影响。研究发现，四元 ZCIS 量子点的试验阳离子结构允许量子点特性的进一步变化和灵活性。通过 In 或 Zn 过量的前体比例诱导 Cu 缺乏可提高光致发光 (PL) 强度和结构稳定性。对 ZnS 外涂层进行了研究，但发现比核心 CIS 量子点更稳定的含锌 ZCIS 核心从锌钝化中获益甚微。通过这种可扩展的合成过程生产的高发射率四元量子点具有广泛的可调性和功能性，能够发射564-650 nm的波长，并且具有高达159 ns的高寿命，使它们更适合各种设备应用。