Heteroepitaxial Growth of Colloidal Nanocrystals onto Substrate Films via Hot-Injection Routes

Hot-injection synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) in a substrate-bound form is demonstrated. We show that polycrystalline films submerged into hot organic solvents can nucleate the heteroepitaxial growth of semiconductor NCs, for which the ensuing lattice quality and size distribution are on the par with those of isolated colloidal nanoparticles. This strategy is demonstrated by growing lead chalcogenide NCs directly onto solvent-submerged TiO2 substrates. The resulting PbX/VTiO2 (X = S, Se, Te) nanocomposites exhibit heteroepitaxial interfaces between lead chalcogenide and oxide domains and show an efficient separation of photoinduced charges, deployable for light-harvesting applications. The extendibility of the present method to other material systems was demonstrated through the synthesis of CdS/TiO2 and Cu2S/TiO2 heterostructures, fabricated from PbS/TiO2 composites via cation exchange. The photovoltaic performance of nanocrystal/substrate composites comprising PbS NCs was evaluated by incorporating PbS/TiO2 films Into prototype solar cells.