Self - assembly of HgTe nanoparticles into nanostars using single stranded DNA

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the controlled self-assembly of nearly monodispersed HgTe nanostars using single-stranded DNA, resulting in specific optical properties and potential for nanoscale applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method for assembling HgTe nanoparticles into nanostars with tunable size using ssDNA under galvanostatic conditions.

Findings

Nanostars have an average size of 1.4 nm linked by 0.35 nm ssDNA.

Nanostars exhibit a narrow photoluminescence at 548.4 nm.

Polydispersed HgTe nanoparticles show broader PL with exciton features.

Abstract

Self-assembly of structurally tunned nearly monodispersed HgTe - ssDNA nanostars of average size 1.4 nm have been achieved by manipulating HgTe nanoparticles using single stranded (ss) DNA under galvanostatic condition. The nanostars are linked with one another by ssDNA of length 0.35 nm. Whereas, HgTe nanoparticles without ssDNA complexation show a polycrystalline character with size in the range 4 - 7 nm. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) of HgTe - ssDNA nanostars have yielded a single narrow PL at 548.4 nm of width 8 nm that corroborates to the nearly monodispersity of the nanostars and predicts the lateral exciton transfer. On the other hand, polydispersed HgTe nanoparticles exhibit free- and bound- exciton dominated luminescence in their PL spectrum.