Luminescence color control and quantum-efficiency enhancement of colloidal Si nanocrystals by pulsed laser irradiation in liquid

We demonstrate the emission color change of white-emitting chlorine-terminated silicon nanocrystals (Cl:Si-ncs) to blue-emitting carbon-terminated silicon nanocrystals (C:Si-ncs), together with the enhancement of the luminescence quantum efficiency from 7% to 13%, by post-laser ablation in 1-octene. Such changes of the PL properties are caused by the size reduction of Si-nc and efficient surface passivation by hydrocarbons, resulting from a high reactivity of 1-octene in the laser-ablation and subsequent nanoparticle-formation processes. Furthermore, the second post-laser irradiation of the C:Si-ncs in trichloroethylene reversibly results in the formation of the Cl:Si-ncs. The preparation yield of C:Si-ncs via the post-laser ablation of Cl:Si-ncs is higher than that of C:Si-ncs directly prepared only by the laser ablation of PSi in 1-octene. This high preparation yield is due to the high laser-ablation efficiency in trichloroethylene compared with 1-octene, which is attributed to the low heat loss of the solvent in the laser-ablation process.