https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2004-00292-8
Influence of polar solvent on light-emitting property of SiOx (x = 1.2-1.6) nanoparticles irradiated by ultraviolet ozone
National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 and Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, P.R. China
Corresponding author: a hkxlwu@nju.edu.cn
Received:
1
March
2004
Revised:
25
June
2004
Published online:
30
September
2004
SiOx (x = 1.2-1.6) powder with nanoparticle sizes of 5-15 nm was irradiated by ultraviolet ozone (UVO), followed by immersion into polar solvent to form a sol-like sample for investigating the influence of a polar solvent on light-emitting property of SiOx nanoparticles. Photoluminescence (PL) spectral examinations reveal that the intensity of a broad blue-emitting band peaked at around 420 nm strongly depends upon UVO irradiation and meanwhile relates with the solvent polarity. PL excitation spectral analysis and Fourier-transform infrared absorption measurements suggest that the blue PL band arise from optical transition in the –OH binding states (possibly H bonds to the interstitial oxygen) at the surfaces of SiOx nanoparticles, which are induced by the interaction of polar solvent with SiOx nanoparticles. This work clearly indicates that we cannot ignore the influence of solvent polarity on the light-emitting property of a composite of organic material and inorganic nanocrystals.
PACS: 81.07.Wx – Nanopowders / 61.25.-f – Studies of specific liquid structures / 78.55.Hx – Other solid inorganic materials
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2004