title: Enhanced fluorescence intermittency of CdSe-ZnS quantum-dot clusters.
abstract: Fluorescence intermittency, or blinking, of individual close-packed clusters containing two or more CdSe-ZnS quantum dots (QDs) was investigated. The QD clusters exhibited rapid, intense blinking that was distinct from that of isolated QDs blinking independently. This enhanced blinking is suggested to occur when the QDs in the cluster become electronically coupled. The nature of this coupling is not known, though electrons trapped from QDs when they blink off may play a role by altering the electronic environment of neighboring QDs and enhancing their fluorescence properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Orden
mesh_terms: D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D045663:Quantum Dots; D018036:Selenium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry*; D017967:Zinc Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D018036:Selenium Compounds; D013440:Sulfides; D017967:Zinc Compounds; C058667:cadmium selenide; C031238:zinc sulfide