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Updated: May 29, 2026

Advanced Compositional Analysis of Nanoparticle-polymer Composites Using Direct Fluorescence Imaging
Published on: July 19, 2016
Characterization of the organic ligand shell of semiconductor quantum dots by fluorescence quenching experiments
Klaus Boldt1, Sebastian Jander, Kathrin Hoppe
1Institute for Physical Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Grindelallee 177, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract:
We present the characterization of the organic ligand shell of CdSe/Cd(x)Zn(1-x)S/ZnS nanoparticles by means of fluorescence quenching experiments. Both electron scavengers and acceptors for resonance energy transfer were employed as probes. Different quenching behavior for short and long chain thiol ligands in water was found. It could be shown that poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-capping of the particles comprises a densely packed inner shell and a loosely packed outer shell in which ions and small molecules diffuse unhindered. A quantitative uptake of quencher molecules into the PEO shell was observed, through which the particle volume including the ligand sphere could be determined.
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