Germanium nanoparticles are a promising alternative to PbSe for energy conversion because of germanium’s large excitonic Bohr radius, which allows for band gap tuning over a wide range of particle diameters. Solutions of germanium particles can be synthesized by a facile microwave-assisted procedure. Recent reports have demonstrated that following treatment with hydrazine, the germanium nanoparticle surface can be re-passivated with amine and thiol ligands to gain new surface functionality. Surface functionalization with diorganyl dichalcogenide ligands was recently demonstrated for CdSe nanoparticles and porous Si. Presented here is our work to passivate the surface of germanium nanoparticles with diorganyl dichalcogenide ligands. The effects of Ge-chalcogenide linkage and relative ligand size on surface control and nanoparticle band structure are investigated. Thus, an additional method of surface control and Ge band structure tuning is achieved.

Dichalcogenide ligand exchange on germanium nanoparticles

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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