The concepts of etching and ligand stripping are familiar to semiconductor nanocrystal researchers, but identification and differentiation of the two can be challenging. The methods we developed to synthesize and change InP NCs also provide a system that allows separation of the two. Using fluoride-containing salts and ionic liquids, luminescent InP NCs can be generated, and through ligand stripping, particles that suspend in polar solvents are readily obtained. By changing reaction conditions, these polar NCs form from other ionic liquids, suggesting a broadly applicable method. A highly accessible post-synthetic etching process was discovered that can tune the luminescence of NCs using fluoride-containing salts. Simple combination of salt with the NCs generates luminescence enhancement over a period of hours to days. This process did not change the absorption spectrum of the NCs, suggesting it is not etching. Instead, etching required use of a Lewis acid, producing luminescent InP NCs with tunable size. Both the microwave-assisted and post-synthetic etching processes are new, simple pathways to production of high quality toxic heavy metal free NCs using safer, cheaper materials.<br/>

Consequences of InP quantum dot modification using fluoride

255th National Meeting (2018)

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