Size- and Temperature-Dependent Carrier Dynamics in Oleic Acid Capped PbS Quantum Dots

In this work, we investigate the temperature dependence of the photoluminescence decay and integrated photoluminescence of oleic acid capped PbS quantum dots with diameters ranging from 2.3 to 3.5 nm over a broad temperature range (6-290 K). All the investigated samples exhibit similar behavior, consisting of three different temperature regimes. The low-temperature regime (<180 K) is characterized by an increase in the average decay rate and a decrease in integrated photoluminescence. The intermediate regime (similar to 180-250 K) is described by an enhancement in the photoluminescence intensity and a decrease in the average decay rate. The high-temperature regime (>250 K) is governed by quenched photoluminescence intensity and acceleration in the average lifetimes. We propose a three-level system, composed of bright, dark, and surface states, which describes the observed photoluminescence dynamics of oleic acid capped PbS QDs.