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Synthesis of a Thiol Building Block for the Crystallization of a Semiconducting Gyroidal Metal-sulfur Framework
Published on: April 9, 2018
Synthesis and Ligand Exchange of Thiol-Capped Silicon Nanocrystals
Yixuan Yu1, Clare E Rowland2,3, Richard D Schaller2,3
1†McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute, and Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1062, United States.
Abstract:
Hydride-terminated silicon (Si) nanocrystals were capped with dodecanethiol by a thermally promoted thiolation reaction. Under an inert atmosphere, the thiol-capped nanocrystals exhibit photoluminescence (PL) properties similar to those of alkene-capped Si nanocrystals, including size-tunable emission wavelength, relatively high quantum yields (>10%), and long radiative lifetimes (26-280 μs). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed that the ligands attach to the nanocrystal surface via covalent Si-S bonds. The thiol-capping layer, however, readily undergoes hydrolysis and severe degradation in the presence of moisture. Dodecanethiol could be exchanged with dodecene by hydrosilylation for enhanced stability.
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