Preparation of highly luminescent hybrid gel incorporating NAC-capped CdTe quantum dots through sol–gel processing

Highly photoluminescent gel was prepared by embedding water soluble quantum dots (QDs) in an inorganic–organic hybrid gel matrix using a conventional sol–gel process. Aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and citric acid (CA) were found to be the best combination for the gel preparation. ¹³C-NMR and FT-IR studies indicated hydrogen bond formation between the amine group of APS and the carboxyl group of CA. IR-light radiation curing was comparable to thermal curing and reduced the gelation time to a considerable extent (71 %). The resulting composite formed a hybrid gel phosphor with excellent transparency by embedding CdTe QDs into the matrix and emitted light of various colors with high photoluminescence efficiency (40 %). The gel phosphor retained the PL properties after storage in air for one year. In addition, the strength of the hybrid phosphor was demonstrated by a coin-flipping test. (paper)