Photophysical Enhancement of R-Cu Emission in ZnS:Cu Nanocrystals through ZnS Shell Overgrowth
Gary Chen a, Jonah J Ng a, Yossef E Panfil a, Cristian Gonzalez a, Lucy Decker a, Christopher B Murray a, Lee C Bassett a, Cherie R Kagan a
a University of Pennsylvania, 200 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, 19104, United States
Poster, Gary Chen, 100
Publication date: 15th May 2025

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are excellent platforms to host point defects that serve as spin-light interfaces for emerging quantum technologies. Here, we present a synthetic strategy for the precise incorporation of copper (Cu) dopants into zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanocrystals to create red-emitting CuZn-VS (R-Cu) quantum defects, targeting the regime of single-defect occupancy. By growing ZnS shells over Cu-doped ZnS cores, we achieve enhancements in the photophysical properties of the CuZn-VS defects, including increased emission intensity and prolonged lifetimes. Systematic variation of the overgrowth thickness enables a mechanistic investigation of Cu incorporation and migration dynamics within the nanocrystals, described using semi-empirical rate equations. These findings establish a foundation for rational design of dopant-defect architectures in colloidal nanomaterials and highlight their potential for defect-based quantum information applications.                                                   

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