A differential dielectric spectroscopy setup to measure the electric dipole moment and net charge of colloidal quantum dots
- Van 't Hoff Laboratory for Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht (Netherlands)
A sensitive dielectric spectroscopy setup is built to measure the response of nanoparticles dispersed in a liquid to an alternating electric field over a frequency range from 10{sup −2} to 10{sup 7} Hz. The measured complex permittivity spectrum records both the rotational dynamics due to a permanent electric dipole moment and the translational dynamics due to net charges. The setup consists of a half-transparent capacitor connected in a bridge circuit, which is balanced on pure solvent only, using a software-controlled compensating voltage. In this way, the measured signal is dominated by the contributions of the nanoparticles rather than by the solvent. We demonstrate the performance of the setup with measurements on a dispersion of colloidal CdSe quantum dots in the apolar liquid decalin.
- OSTI ID:
- 22254990
- Journal Information:
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 85, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0034-6748
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
3D Volumetric Structural Hierarchy Induced by Colloidal Polymerization of a Quantum-Dot Ionic Liquid Monomer Conjugate
Dielectric and transport properties of thin films precipitated from sols with silicon nanoparticles