Enhanced luminescence of CdSe quantum dots on gold colloids

We have studied the enhancement of luminescence of (CdSe)ZnS core-shell quantum dots on gold colloids as a function of semiconductor nanocrystal-metal nanoparticle distance. Using a layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte deposition technique to insert well-defined spacer layers between gold colloids and quantum dots, a distance-dependent enhancement and quenching of quantum dot photoluminescence has been observed. The maximum enhancement by a factor of 5 is achieved for a 9-layer spacer (approximate to11 nm). The efficient quantum dot excitation within the locally enhanced electromagnetic field produced by the gold nanoparticles is evidenced by the observation of the surface plasmon resonance in the photoluminescence excitation spectrum of (CdSe)ZnS nanocrystals.