Zebrafish imaging and two-photon fluorescence imaging using ZnSe quantum dots

This study is to report a ZnSe quantum dot with a large two-photon absorption cross section and good biocompatibility,which can be used in bioimaging.Fluorescence emission at 410 nm is observed in the quantum dot under 760-nm laser excitation.These biocompatible quantum dots exhibit a two-photon cross-section of 9.1×105 GM(1 GM=10-50 cm4·s/photon).Two-photon excited laser scanning microscopic images show that cells co-cultured with ZnSe quantum dots are found in the blue channel at a fluorescence intensity that is 14.5 times that of control cells not cocultured with quantum dots.After incubating zebrafish larvae with ZnSe quantum dots for 24 h,the fluorescence intensity of the yolk sac stimulated by ultraviolet light is 2.9 times that of the control group.The proposed material shows a great potential application in biological imaging.

ZnSe quantum dots downshifting layer for perovskite solar cells

To date, the instability of organometal halide perovskite solar cells（PSCs） has become the focus issue that limits the development and long-term application of PSCs. Both the ultraviolet（UV） rays in sunlight and moisture in air can significantly accelerate the disintegration of the perovskite. Here, we introduced a Zn Se quantum dots layer as downshifting materials, which was spin-coated onto the backside of PSCs.This layer converted the UV rays into visible light to prevent the destruction of PSCs as well as increase the light harvesting of the perovskite layer. Under the UV irradiation in the moisture ambient（40%）, the destruction speed of the unencapsulated perovskite films were also delayed evidently. In addition, the power conversion efficiency（PCE） of the PSCs was increased from 16.6% to 17.3% due to the increase of the visible light absorbance of the perovskite.

Synthesis of Water-Dispersed Thioglycolic Acid-Capped ZnSe Quantum Dots in Aqueous Media

Water-dispersible ZnSe quantum dots （ZnSe QDs） were prepared in aqueous media and characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorption, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energydispersive spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The influences of various experimental variables on the photoluminescence properties of ZnSe QDs were investigated. The results showed that the average diameter of these nanocrystals was 4 nm with narrow size distribution. The optimized conditions were as follows： pH value of 9.5, Zn/NaHSe molar ratio of 10：1, Zn/TGA molar ratio of 1：3, heating time of 1 h, and irradiation time of 19 h. Under optimized conditions, the photoluminescence quantum yield of ZnSe QDs in aqueous solution reached 20%.

Investigating the charge transfer mechanism of ZnSe QD/COF S-scheme photocatalyst for H_(2)O_(2) production by using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy

Hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))has gained widespread attention as a versatile oxidant and a mild disin-fectant.Here,an electrostatic self-assembly method is applied to couple ZnSe quantum dots(QDs)with a flower-like covalent organic framework(COF)to form a step-scheme(S-scheme)photocata-lyst for H_(2)O_(2)production.The as-prepared S-scheme photocatalyst exhibits a broad light absorption range with an edge at 810 nm owing to the synergistic effect between the ZnSe QDs and COF.The S-scheme charge-carrier transfer mechanism is validated by performing Fermi level calculations and in-situ X-ray photoelectron and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopies.Photolumi-nescence,time-resolved photoluminescence,photocurrent response,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,and electron paramagnetic resonance results show that the S-scheme heterojunction not only promotes charge carrier separation but also boosts the redox ability,resulting in enhanced photocatalytic performance.Remarkably,a 10%-ZnSe QD/COF has excellent photocatalytic H_(2)O_(2)-production activity,and the optimal S-scheme composite with ethanol as the hole scavenger yields a H_(2)O_(2)-production rate of 1895 mol g^(-1)h^(-1).This study presents an example of a high-performance organic/inorganic S-scheme photocatalyst for H_(2)O_(2)production.

Enhanced transient photovoltaic characteristics of core–shell ZnSe/ZnS/L-Cys quantum-dot-sensitized TiO_2 thin-film

Photoanodic properties greatly determine the overall performance of quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells（QDSCs）. In the present report, the microdynamic behaviors of carriers in the nanocomposite thin-film, a Zn Se QD-sensitized mesoporous La-doped nano-TiO2 thin-film, as a potential candidate for photoanode, are probed via nanosecond transient photovoltaic（TPV） spectroscopy. The results confirm that the L-Cys ligand has a dual function serving as a stabilizer and molecular linker. Large quantities of interface states are located at the energy level with a photoelectric threshold of1.58 eV and a quantum well（QW） depth of 0.67 eV. This QW depth is approximately 0.14 eV deeper than the depth of QW buried in the Zn Se QDs, and a deeper QW results in a higher quantum confinement energy. A strong quantum confinement effect of the interface state may be responsible for the excellent TPV characteristics of the photoanode. For example, the peak intensity of the TPV response of the QD-sensitized thin-film lasts a long time, from 9.40 × 10^（-7） s to 2.96 × 10^（-4） s,and the end time of the PTV response of the QD-sensitized thin-film is extended by approximately an order of magnitude compared with those of the TiO2 substrate and the QDs. The TPV characteristics of the QD-sensitized thin-film change from p-type to n-type for the QDs before and after sensitizing. These properties strongly depend on the extended diffusion length of the photogenerated carries and the reduced recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, resulting in prolonged carrier lifetime and an increased level of electron injection into the TiO2 thin-film substrate.