Optical properties of CdP2 and CdP4 nanoparticles incorporated into Na-X zeolite matrix

TL;DR

This study reports the first synthesis and optical characterization of CdP2 and CdP4 semiconductor nanoparticles embedded in Na-X zeolite, revealing size-dependent spectral shifts and stable nanoparticle formation at cryogenic temperatures.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of incorporating CdP2 and CdP4 nanoparticles into zeolite Na-X and provides their optical spectra at 77 K, highlighting size effects.

Findings

Observation of blue-shifted absorption and PL spectra indicating quantum confinement.

Detection of stable nanoparticles smaller than zeolite supercages.

Identification of Stokes shift in PL spectra.

Abstract

For the first time nanoparticles of CdP2 and CdP4 semiconductors were prepared and studied. The nanoparticles were prepared by incorporation into zeolite Na-X matrix. Absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of CdP2 and CdP4 nanoparticles were measured at the temperature of 77 K. Two bands were observed in both the absorption and PL spectra of CdP2 nanoparticles demonstrating the blue shift from the line of free exciton in bulk crystal. Single band was observed in both the absorption and PL spectra of CdP4 nanoparticles demonstrating the blue shift from the spectra of bulk crystal. We attribute the bands to some stable nanoparticles of CdP2 and CdP4 with size less than the size of zeolite Na-X supercage. We observed Stokes shift of the PL bands with respect to the absorption bands for both CdP2 and CdP4 nanoparticles.