Solvothermal preparation and fluorescent properties of color-tunable InP/ZnS quantum dots

This work reports on the solvothermal preparation and optical properties of InP core and InP/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (QDs). InP QDs are synthesized using a phosphorus (P) source of tris(dimethylamino)phosphine (P(N(CH3)2)3) under the solvothermal conditions in the range of reaction temperature of 120–180°C and reaction time of 12h−1 week to tune their size. ZnS shelling is also solvothermally performed by varying the shell growth temperature from 180 to 220°C for 6h, and then respective InP and InP/ZnS QDs are subjected to the size-sorting procedure. Effects of the shelling temperature on the fluorescent attributes (emission peak wavelength, bandwidth, and quantum yield) of the resulting size-sorted InP/ZnS QD fractions are investigated. The qualitative information on the shell thickness as a function of shelling temperature is furthermore provided by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. ► InP/ZnS core/shell QDs are prepared using a P source of P(N(CH3)2)3 by a stepwise solvothermal approach. ► Widely emission-tuable InP/ZnS QDs are realized by varying the solvothermal condition for core QD growth. ► Effects of ZnS shelling temperature on fluorescent properties of InP/ZnS QDs are investigated.