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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Advanced Compositional Analysis of Nanoparticle-polymer Composites Using Direct Fluorescence Imaging
Published on: July 19, 2016
Fluorescence signals of core-shell quantum dots enhanced by single crystalline gold caps on silicon nanowires
S H Christiansen1, J W Chou, M Becker
1Max-Planck-Institute of Microstructure Physics, Weinberg 2, D-06120 Halle, Germany. Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), Albert-Einstein-Strasse 9, D-07745 Jena, Germany.
Abstract:
We use nanoscale (20-300 nm in diameter) single crystalline gold (Au)-caps on silicon nanowires (NWs) grown by the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism to enhance the fluorescence photoluminescence (PL) signals of highly dilute core/shell CdSeTe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution (10(-5) M). For NWs without Au-caps, as they appear, for example, after Au etching in aqua regia or buffered KI/I(2)-solution, essentially no fluorescence signal of the same diluted QDs could be observed. Fluorescence PL signals were measured using excitation with a laser wavelength of 633 nm. The signal enhancement by single crystalline, nanoscale Au-caps is discussed and interpreted based on finite element modeling (FEM).

