Influence of the Shell Thickness and Ratio Between Core Elements on Photostability of the CdTe/CdS Core/Shell Quantum Dots Embedded in a Polymer Matrix

This paper reports a study of photooxidation and photomodification processes of the CdTe/CdS quantum dots embedded in a polymer matrix under ambient condition. During the first few minutes of irradiation, the quasi-inverse increase in photoluminescence intensity has been observed indicating the passivation of the nanocrystal surface traps by water molecules. A prolonged irradiation of the polymer film containing CdTe/CdS quantum dots leads to a significant decrease in the photoluminescence intensity together with the “blue shift” of the photoluminescence peak energy associated with quantum dot photooxidation. The mechanisms of the CdTe/CdS core/shell quantum dot photooxidation and photomodification in a polymer matrix are discussed. We have found a correlation between the photostability of the quantum dots and the CdS shell thickness as well as the ratio of core elements.