title: Improving nanoparticle dispersion and charge transfer in cadmium telluride tetrapod and conjugated polymer blends.
abstract: The dispersion of CdTe tetrapods in a conducting polymer and the resulting charge transfer is studied using a combination of confocal fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results of this work show that both the tetrapod dispersion and charge transfer between the CdTe and conducting polymer (P3HT) are greatly enhanced by exchanging the ligands on the surface of the CdTe and by choosing proper solvent mixtures. The ability to experimentally probe the relationship between particle dispersion and charge transfer through the combination of AFM and fluorescence microscopy provides another avenue to assess the performance of polymer/semiconductor nanoparticle composites.
authors.affiliation: Sandia National Laboratories, Nanomaterials Sciences, P.O. Box 5800, MS 1415, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1415, USA. tmonson@sandia.gov
authors.forename: Todd C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Monson
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hollars
authors.forename: Christine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Orme
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huser