Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

Characterization of Nanocrystal Size Distribution using Raman Spectroscopy with a Multi-particle Phonon Confinement Model
Published on: August 22, 2015
Silanization effect on the photoluminescence characteristics of crystalline and amorphous silicon nanoparticles
Paula Caregnato1, Maria Laura Dell'Arciprete, Mónica Cristina Gonzalez
1Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, CLa Plata, Argentina. caregnato@inifta.unlp.edu.ar
Abstract:
Silicon nanoparticles synthesized by two different methods were surface modified with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane. The particles of ~2 nm size exhibit photoluminescence (PL) in the UV-Vis range of the spectrum. The most intense PL band at 430 nm with an emission lifetime of 1-2 ns is attributed to the presence of the surface defects Si-O-Si, generated after anchoring the organic molecule onto the interface. The excitation-emission matrix of this band is essentially independent of the technique of synthesis, crystalline structure, and size of the silicon nanoparticles.

