Surface modification of silicon nanocrystallites by alcohols

Room-temperature addition of 1-undecanol (UD-OH), 1-hexadecanol (WD-OH), 1- octanol (OC-OH), and 1,12-dodecanediol DD-(OH)(2) completely quenched the p hotoluminescence of silicon nanocrystallites, Si-nc. Heating Si-nc with UD- OH, HD-OH, and OC-OH resulted in the partial recovery of the photoluminesce nce and in the formation of 1-10 nm diameter alcohol capped Si-nc: Si-nc-O- UD, Si-nc-O-HD, and Si-nc-O-OC. Heating Si-nc with DD-(OH)(2) also restored partially the photoluminescence and TEM and AFM images indicated the forma tion of diol interconnected, 100-800 nm diameter silicon nanoparticle agglo merates, Sinc-O-DD-O-nc-Si.