title: Highly efficient nonradiative energy transfer mediated light harvesting in water using aqueous CdTe quantum dot antennas.
abstract: We present light harvesting of aqueous colloidal quantum dots to nonradiatively transfer their excitonic excitation energy efficiently to dye molecules in water, without requiring ligand exchange. These as-synthesized CdTe quantum dots that are used as donors to serve as light-harvesting antennas are carefully optimized to match the electronic structure of Rhodamine B molecules used as acceptors for light harvesting in aqueous medium. By varying the acceptor to donor concentration ratio, we measure the light harvesting factor, along with substantial lifetime modifications of these water-soluble quantum dots, from 25.3 ns to 7.2 ns as a result of their energy transfer with efficiency levels up to 86%. Such nonradiative energy transfer mediated light harvesting in aqueous medium holds great promise for future quantum dot multiplexed dye biodetection systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, UNAM --National Nanotechnology Research Center, Bilkent University, 06800, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Evren
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mutlugun
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Samarskaya
authors.forename: Tuncay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozel
authors.forename: Neslihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cicek
authors.forename: Nikolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gaponik
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eychmüller
authors.forename: Hilmi Volkan
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Demir
mesh_terms: D004735:Energy Transfer; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008027:Light; D055096:Optical Devices; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water