Group Web Site:   http://www.chem.uic.edu/sneep/www

Phone: 312-413-2566
Office: N/A

Semiconductor Nanocrystals are a unique form of matter, which have a size dependent absorption and emission spectra. As a consequence, the electronic structure follows the quantum �particle-in-a-box� principal- only certain distinct electronic states can be occupied as dictated by the finite size of the crystal. Strongly confined NCs have atomic like density of states and size dependent bandgaps. Further, the crystallinity and organic surface passivation of semiconducting NCs result in very efficient emission quantum yields compared to the bulk materials. As shown here, the emission wavelength can be tuned not only with size, but composition and structure as well.


Energy Transfer: We are developing methods of conjugating organic molecules to the surfaces of nanocrystals which results in efficient F�rster Resonant Energy Transfer (FRET) between the photoexcited NC and the dye. In the course of this work we discovered that we could modulate the efficiency of energy transfer when we coupled a dye which has environmentally sensitive absorption spectra. The result is a naturally self-referencing fluorescent sensor.

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