SURFACE-FUNCTIONALIZED SILICON QUANTUM DOTS

Abstract

A surface-modified quantum dot includes a silicon quantum dot, a polycyclic dye moiety, and a linking moiety that bonds the polycyclic dye moiety to the silicon quantum dot.

Description

Claims

1. A surface-modified quantum dot comprising: a silicon quantum dot;a polycyclic dye moiety; anda linking moiety bonding the polycyclic dye moiety to the silicon quantum dot.

2. The surface-modified quantum dot as recited in claim 1, wherein the linking moiety includes an amide moiety or a 1,2,3 triazole moiety.

3. The surface-modified quantum dot as recited in claim 1, wherein the linking moiety includes an amide moiety.

4. The surface-modified quantum dot as recited in claim 1, wherein the linking moiety includes a 1,2,3 triazole moiety.

5. The surface-modified quantum dot as recited in claim 1, having a chemical structure below, wherein Si-Dot is the silicon quantum dot and Dye is the polycyclic dye moiety: .

6. The surface-modified quantum dot as recited in claim 1, having a chemical structure below, wherein Si-Dot is the silicon quantum dot and Dye is the polycyclic dye moiety .

7. The surface-modified quantum dot as recited in claim 1, wherein the polycyclic dye is selected from the group below consisting of a) through i) and combinations thereof: .

8. The surface-modified quantum dot as recited in claim 1, wherein the polycyclic dye moiety has from three to eight rings.

9. An optical device comprising: one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), each of the one or more LEDs including a plurality of surface-modified quantum dots, and each of the surface-modified quantum dots including: a silicon quantum dot,a polycyclic dye moiety, anda linking moiety bonding the polycyclic dye moiety to the silicon quantum dot.

10. The optical device as recited in claim 9, wherein the linking moiety includes an amide moiety or a 1,2,3 triazole moiety.

11. The optical device as recited in claim 9, having a chemical structure below, wherein Si-Dot is the silicon quantum dot and Dye is the polycyclic dye moiety: .

12. The optical device as recited in claim 9, having a chemical structure below, wherein Si-Dot is the silicon quantum dot and Dye is the polycyclic dye moiety .

13. The optical device as recited in claim 9, wherein the polycyclic dye is selected from the group below consisting of a) through i) and combinations thereof: .

14. The optical device as recited in claim 9, wherein the polycyclic dye moiety has from three to eight rings.

15. A method of fabricating a surface-modified quantum dot, the method comprising: functionalizing a hydrogen-terminated silicon quantum dot by substituting hydrogen of the hydrogen-terminated silicon quantum dot with an amine to produce an amino-functionalized silicon quantum dot;reacting the amino-functionalized silicon quantum dot to bond a polycyclic dye thereto and thereby produce a surface-modified quantum dot having a linking moiety that bond the polycyclic dye moiety to the silicon quantum dot.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the reacting includes conversion of the amino-functionalized silicon quantum dot to an azide-functionalized quantum dot.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the reacting includes contacting the amino-functionalized silicon quantum dot with a reactant selected from the group consisting of triflic azide, nonaflyl azide, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the reacting includes providing an alkyne-functionalized polycyclic dye, the alkyne-functionalized polycyclic dye reacting with the triazole-functionalized quantum dot to produce the surface-modified quantum dot with 1,2,3 triazole as the linking moiety.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the reacting includes providing a carboxylic acid-functionalized polycyclic dye, the carboxylic acid-functionalized polycyclic dye reacting with the amino-functionalized quantum dot to produce the surface-modified quantum dot with an amide as the linking moiety.