Ultrafast exciton dynamics in InAs/ZnSe nanocrystal quantum dots.

Colloidal nanocrystal quantum dots with a band gap in the near infra-red have potential application as the emitters for telecommunications or in vivo imaging, or as the photo-absorbing species in next generation solar cells or photodetectors. However, electro- and photoluminescence yields and the efficiency with which photo-generated charges can be extracted from quantum dots depend on the total rate of recombination, which can be dominated by surface-mediated processes. In this study, we use ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy to characterise the recombination dynamics of photo-generated charges in InAs/ZnSe nanocrystal quantum dots.

Spinel ferrite/MnO core/shell nanoparticles: chemical synthesis of all-oxide exchange biased architectures.

In this communication, we report the synthesis and characterization of organic-capped core/shell CoFe2O4/MnO nanoparticles. Magnetic properties of the core/shell nanoparticles were compared to those of individual CoFe2O4 and MnO nanoparticles prepared with similar methods. Magnetic measurements revealed that the core/shell nanoparticles displayed a shift in the hysteresis loops corresponding to exchange biasing exchange fields of about 0.

Analysis of metal-containing granules in the barnacle Tetraclita squamosa.

Metal-containing granules were isolated from specimens of the barnacle Tetraclita squamosa collected from a metal contaminated site in Hong Kong. The chemical composition, crystallographic and morphological properties of the deposits were analysed by X-ray powder diffraction, electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis by X-rays and infrared spectroscopy. The most abundant metals were iron, calcium and zinc and the major anion was phosphate.

Quantum dot-labelled polymer beads by suspension polymerisation.

CdSe quantum dots with polymerisable ligands have been incorporated into polystyrene beads, via a suspension polymerisation reaction, as a first step towards the optical encoding of solid supports for application in solid phase organic chemistry.