Synthesis of ZnO Nanoparticles with Controlled Shapes, Sizes, Aggregations, and Surface Complex Compounds for Tuning or Switching the Photoluminescence

The electronic energy transfer (EET) usually induces the fluorescence self-quenching, but it has been positively used here to tune and/or switch the photoluminescence (PL) of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). Monodisperse ZnO nanospheres, rods, tripods, and clusters with tunable sizes have been synthesized to reproducibly and finely control the NP aggregation because EET is sensitive to the interparticle separation. The complex reactions between these NPs and their dispersion media have been used to further control the EET for tuning the ZnO PL. By changing the NP concentrations, shapes, and/or the cluster sizes, the band-edge UV PL of the ZnO NPs dispersed in alcohol or water is modified in both intensity and peak position, and new blue emissions with tunable intensity around 418, 435, and 468 nm are induced. As confirmed by the X-ray diffraction patterns and the infrared, PL, absorption, and Raman spectra, the ZnO NPs made here can slowly react with ethanol to form a new composite ZnO-(C₂H₅OH)_n, which changes the EET between NPs and leads to strong blue PL around 435 nm. By simply using different dispersion media (such as ethanol or water) to modify the surface complex compounds of ZnO NPs, the 435 nm blue PL can be turned on or off.