Silicon Quantum Dots Metal Enhanced Photoluminescence by Gold Nanoparticles in Colloidal Ensembles: Effect of Surface Coating

摘要： In the present study we report the photophysical properties of colloidal ensembles of silicon quantum dots (SiD) and gold nanoparticles (AuNP), particularly focused on investigating metal-enhanced photoluminescence effects. AuNP with different sizes, (27 ± 10) and (88 ± 12) nm, and ca. 3.4 nm size SiD with different surface groups, either covered with an oxidized surface film bearing Si-OH surface groups or grafted with propylamine leading to Si-(CH2)2-CH2-NH2 terminal functionalities, were tested to evaluate gold enhancement of SiD photoluminescence. Nanoparticles were characterized by HRTEM, FTIR, XPS, ICP-AES, and gel electrophoresis, while photophysical properties of nanoparticles alone and in colloidal ensembles at different concentrations were investigated by absorption and steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence studies, including quantum yield determinations. Enhanced absorption and photoluminescence of SiD in the presence of AuNP was evidenced, leading in the most favorable cases to ca. 10-times increase in SiD brightness. This effect depends strongly on the SiD surface coating and its interaction with citrate-capped gold surfaces, where these interactions govern particles aggregation and relative distance distributions among SiD and AuNP in the ensembles. The nature of these interactions and how they affect metal-enhanced luminescence is thoroughly discussed. The present study provides significant information on the effect of SiD surface groups and surface charge on the metal-enhanced luminescence phenomenon in colloidal aqueous suspensions.