Doping location-dependent energy transfer dynamics in Mn-doped CdS/ZnS nanocrystals

Dynamics of energy transfer and charge carrier localization in Mn-doped CdS/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals correlated with doping location and concentration are studied via transient absorption measurement of exciton relaxation dynamics. The strong dependence of exciton-Mn energy transfer rate on doping location was directly resolved in the transient bleach recovery and electron intraband absorption data by using layer-by-layer synthesized Mn-doped nanocrystals. With 1.2 nm decrease in doping radius in the ZnS shell, energy transfer rate increases by 6 fold. We identified that hole trapping is the major competing process that inhibits the energy transfer in Mn-doped CdS/ZnS nanocrystals. From the branching ratio of the energy transfer and hole trapping, combined with luminescence quantum yield measurement, we also obtained doping location-dependent radiative relaxation quantum yield of Mn(2+) ions that is as high as 0.95.