Proceedings of nanoGe Fall Meeting 2021 (NFM21)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.nfm.2021.048
Publication date: 23rd September 2021
The surface structure of nanocrystals (NC) strongly impacts their chemical and optolectronic properties because of their large surface area to volume ratios. However, techniques that can provide experimental atomic-level surface structures of NC are lacking. Here, we show how magic angle spinning (MAS) dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) solid-state NMR spectroscopy can be used to determine the surface structures of some of the most widely investigated nanocrystals, zinc blende CdSe NCs with spheroidal and plate morphologies.[1] 1D 113Cd and 77Se cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) NMR spectra reveal distinct signals from Cd and Se atoms on the surface of the nanoparticle, and those residing in bulk-like environments below the surface. 113Cd magic-angle-turning NMR experiments identifies CdSe3O and CdSeO3 coordination environments from {111} facets and CdSe2O2 coordination environments from {100} facets, where the oxygen atoms are from coordinated oleate ligands. The sensitivity gains from DNP enables acquisition of natural isotopic abundance 2D homonuclear 113Cd and 77Se and heteronuclear 113Cd-77Se correlation solid-state NMR experiments. 2D homonuclear 113Cd and 77Se correlation spectra reveal the connectivity of the surface and core Cd and Se atoms. Importantly, 77Se{113Cd} scalar heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (J-HMQC) experiments illustrate the connection between the various Cd and Se environments and can be used to selectively measure one-bond 113Cd-77Se scalar coupling constants (1JSe-Cd). With knowledge of 1JSe-Cd, 77Se{113Cd} heteronuclear spin echo (J-resolved) NMR experiments are then used to determine the number of Se atoms bonded to Cd atoms, and vice versa. The J-resolved experiments directly confirm that major Cd and Se surface species have CdSe2O2 and SeCd4 stoichiometries, respectively. Considering the crystal structure of zinc blende CdSe and the NMR data obtained from NC with spheroidal and platelet morphologies, we conclude that the surface of the spheroidal CdSe nanocrystals is primarily composed of {100} and {111} facets. We will also present preliminary data showing how these methods can be used to probe the surface structure of ligand exchanged CdSe nanocrystals that are passivated with phosphine, amine and chloride ligands. The methods outlined here will be generally applicable to obtain detailed surface structures of a wide variety of main group semiconductors.
DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR experiments and data analysis (Y.C., R.W.D, M.P.H., A.J.R.) were supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering Division. The Ames Laboratory is operated for the U.S. DOE by Iowa State University under Contract DE-AC02-07CH11358. Nanocrystal synthesis, surface chemistry and IR spectroscopy (Y.C., L.W., R.B-F., A.M.M-G., M.A.S.A., J.V.) was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry, Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry program (1905066). A.J.R. acknowledges additional support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation through a Sloan research fellowship.