Incorporation of CdTe Nanocrystals into Metal Oxide Matrices Towards Inorganic Nanocomposite Materials

摘要

In this work we present a technique of incorporation of semiconductor CdTe nanocrystals (NCs) into metal oxide matrices prepared by inorganic sol-gel method. As the matrices, we chose alumina and aluminum tin oxide, which are optically transparent in the visible region. Among them the first is electrically insulating, while the second is conductive and thus can be used in optoelectronic devices. We found optimal synthetic parameters allowing us to maintain optical properties of the NCs in both matrices even after heating up to 150°C in air. Therefore, in our approach we overcame a common problem of degradation of the optical properties of semiconductor NCs in oxide matrices as a result of the incorporation and subsequent interaction with the matrix. The resulting materials were characterized in detail from the point of view of their optical and structural properties. Based on the results obtained, we suggest the formation mechanism of these materials. Semiconductor NCs embedded in robust and optically transparent metal oxides offer promising applications in optical switching, optical filtering, waveguides, light emitting diodes, and solar concentrators.