Decay dynamics and quenching of photoluminescence from silicon nanocrystals by aromatic nitro compounds

The decay dynamics and the quenching of the photoluminescence (PL) from Si nanocrystals are investigated. Electron accepters whose reduction potentials lie below the conduction band (CB) edge of the Si nanocrystals quench the red emission from the Si nanocrystals. The quenching rate constants obtained from Stern-Volmer analyses for 3,5-dinitrobenzonitrile, 4-nitrophthalonitrile, 1,4-dinitrobenzene, 4-nitrobenzonitril 2,3-dinitrotoluene, 3,4-dinitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2,6-dinitrotoluene are in the range of 10(6)-10(7) M(-1)s(-1) The quenching mechanism occurs via an electron transfer from the CB band of the Si nanocrystals to the vacant orbitals of the quenchers. The PL decay profiles of the Si nanocrystals, in the presence and absence of the quencher, are well described by the stretched exponential decay law. The band gap of the Si nanocrystals estimated from the present study is larger than the PL peak energy. The results are consistent with a quantum-confinement model, where recombination of electrons and holes occurs in a surface state. The ability of nitrotoluenes to quench the PL from Si nanocrystals could be used to develop a sensor based on Si nanostructures for the detection of explosives.