Dual-Functionalities of DMSA for Fine-Tunable Photoluminescence of PbS Synthesized Efficiently on the Bio-Templates

Quantum dots (QDs) have been widely investigated owing to their excellent photoluminescence (PL) properties. The outstanding optical and electronic properties of lead sulfide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots have broad applications in nanotechnology. In particular, PbS QDs have great application prospects owing to their high PL in the near-infrared region. PbS QDs are composed of an inorganic semiconductor core and organic ligands. In this study, using 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) as a reactant, we synthesized PbS nanoparticles (NPs) and assembled them on the eggshell membrane substrate. This assembly process using DMSA results in a significantly higher increase in the PL properties of the synthesized PbS material compared to that of the PbS NPs without using the DMSA reactant. It has been demonstrated that an appropriate ligand could assist the enhancement of the PL performance of PbS QDs. After synthesizing PbS NPs using the biotemplating method, we investigated the effect of DMSA both on the synthetic process of PbS NPs and the corresponding PL performance. The results indicated that DMSA could facilitate the formation of PbS NPs with much higher PL efficiency. Meanwhile, systematic morphological characterization carried on SEM confirmed that the key function of DMSA as a ligand could also passivate the PbS surface to enhance the PL intensity. Thus, using DMSA as an additive in the synthesis of PbS NPs using a biotemplate, the corresponding PL emission could be finely tuned. Moreover, the compatibility between the coating and base material, demonstrates its potential for biological applications, such as wearable flexible electronic devices.