Surfactant-Assisted Förster Resonance Energy Transfer from a Quantum Dot Complex for Highly Stable White Light...

Herein we report the fabrication of a surfactant modified quantum dot complex (S-QDC, having λ_em = 485 nm) nanocomposite (composed of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactants and a zinc-quinolate complex attached ZnS quantum dot), the donor capability of S-QDC in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) with an acceptor organic molecule (λ_em = 573 nm), and finally their utilization in the FRET-based white light emission having features near to mid-day sunlight. The Förster distance, energy transfer efficiency, donor-acceptor distance, number of binding sites, and binding constant are evaluated to be 3.48 nm, 85.74%, 2.58 nm, 0.94, and 1.87 × 10⁴ M^-1, respectively, for the current electrostatically driven FRET pair. The solid polymer coated FRET pair composite emits white light having chromaticity color coordinates of (0.33, 0.33) and correlated color temperature of 5350 K and also shows long-term atmospheric white luminescence stability up to 30 days, photostability, and thermal stability with preservation of their pristine morphology.