Interrogating surface state of isolated and agglomerated PbS quantum dots with solvent-induced stress

Applications of quantum dots (QDs) are often obstructed by the associated surface electronic states that quench photoluminescence (PL) and hinder charge transport. Preventing this is still largely being stymied owing to the lack of means to regulate their presence. Dispersing PbS QDs in toluene, we show that varying the solvent temperature offers a way of modulating their surface electronic state. A comprehensive energy-transfer model explains all the anomalous temperature-dependent behavior of the absorption and PL, explicitly revealing the PL quenching dynamics of isolated QDs due to the induced surface state by imposing solvent stress on their surface ligands. This study demonstrates that the local stress induced by a solvent can serve as a 'switch' for the surface electronic states of QDs, which is enabled by the well-studied thermo-physical properties of a liquid solvent.