STABLY PASSIVATED GROUP IV SEMICONDUCTOR NANOPARTICLES AND METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS THEREOF

• US 20080248307A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Innovalight, Inc. (Corteva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Innovalight, Inc. (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jurbergs, David, Rogojina, Elena V.
• Application Number:
  US12/028,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20080248307A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/405
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 33/02 Silicon forming single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure C30B
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/82 by IR- or Raman-data
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2002/84 by UV- or VIS- data
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/04 obtained by TEM, STEM, STM or AFM
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/64 Nanometer sized, i.e. from 1-100 nanometer
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2006/40 Electric properties
• CPC Class Codes: C09C 1/3081 Treatment with organo-silicon compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of either liquid compounds or solutions of the coating forming compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating; Contact plating
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/605 Products containing multiple oriented crystallites, e.g. columnar crystallites
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 7/00 Single-crystal growth from solutions using solvents which are liquid at normal temperature, e.g. aqueous solutions from molten solvents C30B9/00; by normal or gradient freezing C30B11/00; under a protective fluid C30B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2991 Coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2995 Silane, siloxane or silicone coating

Abstract

Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles that have been stably passivated with an organic passivation, layer, methods for producing the same, and compositions utilizing stably passivated. Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles are described. In some embodiments, the stably passivated Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles are luminescent Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles with high photoluminescent quantum yields. The stably passivated Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles can be used in compositions useful in a variety of optoelectronic devices.

Claims

1. A method for producing Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles, the method comprising:

(a) producing semiconductor nanoparticles in an inert environment;

wherein the semiconductor nanoparticles are formed from at least one Group IV semiconductor element;

(b) transferring the semiconductor nanoparticles to an inert reaction solution in an inert environment; and

(c) reacting the surfaces of the semiconductor nanoparticles in the inert reaction solution to form an organic passivation layer covalently bonded to the semiconductor nanoparticles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inert environment substantially oxygen free.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the inert, substantially oxygen-free environment is up to about 100 ppb oxygen.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the inert, substantially oxygen-free environment is up to about 100 ppm oxygen.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the inert reaction solution is substantially oxygen-free.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the inert, substantially oxygen-free solution up to about 100 ppb oxygen.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the inert, substantially oxygen-free solution up to about 100 ppm oxygen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of producing semiconductor nanoparticles in a substantially inert environment comprises etching the nanoparticles to provide nanoparticles having a desired size and further processing the nanoparticles under an inert atmosphere.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of producing semiconductor nanoparticles in an inert environment comprises etching the nanoparticles to provide nanoparticles having a desired size and transferring the nanoparticles in an inert liquid.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of producing semiconductor nanoparticles in an inert environment comprises forming the nanoparticles in a gas or plasma phase in an inert gas atmosphere.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring the semiconductor nanoparticles in an inert environment comprises transferring the nanoparticles under vacuum or an inert gas environment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reacting the surfaces of the semiconductor nanoparticles in the inert reaction solvent comprises reacting the semiconductor nanoparticles with an anhydrous reaction solvent under an inert gas atmosphere.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of reacting the surfaces of the semiconductor nanoparticles in the inert reaction solvent comprises an insertion reaction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein insertion comprises the reaction between a surface Group IV semiconductor hydrogen-bonded moiety and an unsaturated carbon moiety.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles produce luminescence.

16. Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles made according to the method of claim 1.

26. A composition of Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles comprising passivated Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles made according to the method of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles are dispersed in a solution.

27. The composition of claim 26, wherein the solution of nanoparticles is used for printing on a substrate.

17. Semiconductor nanoparticles comprising, Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles having an organic passivation layer, wherein the nanoparticles are substantially oxide free.

18. The Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor nanoparticles are colloidal nanoparticles.

19. The Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles of claim 18, wherein the colloidal semiconductor nanoparticles are silicon nanocrystals.

20. The Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles of claim 18, wherein the colloidal semiconductor nanoparticles are germanium nanocrystals.

21. The Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles of claim 18, wherein the colloidal semiconductor nanoparticles are alloys of at least two Group IV semiconductor elements.

22. The Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles of claim 18, wherein the colloidal semiconductor nanoparticles are core/shell nanocrystals of Group IV semiconductor elements.

23. The Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles of claim 17, wherein the semiconductor nanoparticles are between about 1.0 nm to about 100.0 nm in diameter.

24. A composition of Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles comprising passivated Group IV nanoparticles, which nanoparticles are substantially oxide free, wherein the nanoparticles are dispersed in a solution.

25. The composition of claim 24, wherein the solution of nanoparticles is used for printing on a substrate.