title: In situ growth of well-dispersed CdS nanocrystals in semiconducting polymers.
abstract: A straight synthetic route to fabricate hybrid nanocomposite films of well-dispersed CdS nanocrystals (NCs) in poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) is reported. A soluble cadmium complex [Cd(SBz)2]2·MI, obtained by incorporating a Lewis base (1-methylimidazole, MI) on the cadmium bis(benzyl)thiol, is used as starting reagent in an in situ thermolytic process. CdS NCs with spherical shape nucleate and grow well below 200°C in a relatively short time (30 min). Photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements performed on CdS/MEH-PPV nanocomposites show that CdS photoluminescence peaks are totally quenched inside MEH-PPV, if compared to CdS/PMMA nanocomposites, as expected due to overlapping of the polymer absorption and CdS emission spectra. The CdS NCs are well-dispersed in size and homogeneously distributed within MEH-PPV matrix as proved by transmission electron microscopy. Nanocomposites with different precursor/polymer weight ratios were prepared in the range from 1:4 to 4:1. Highly dense materials, without NCs clustering, were obtained for a weight/weight ratio of 2:3 between precursor and polymer, making these nanocomposites particularly suitable for optoelectronic and solar energy conversion applications.
authors.affiliation: ENEA, Technical Unit for Material Technologies, Brindisi Research Centre, Strada Statale 7, Appia km 706, Brindisi, 72100, Italy. leander.tapfer@enea.it.
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Laera
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Resta
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piscopiello
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Miceli
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schioppa
authors.forename: Anna Grazia
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Scalone
authors.forename: Francesca Di
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Benedetto
authors.forename: Leander
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tapfer