Exploration of CdTe quantum dots as mesoscale pressure sensors via time-resolved shock-compression photoluminescent emission spectroscopy

Journal Article · Thu Jul 28 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4959257· OSTI ID:22597723

Kang, Zhitao ^[1]; Banishev, Alexandr A.; Christensen, James; Dlott, Dana D. ^[2]; Lee, Gyuhyon; Scripka, David A.; Breidenich, Jennifer; Summers, Christopher J.; Xiao, Pan ^[3]; Zhou, Min ^[4]

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1. Georgia Tech Research Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0826 (United States)
2. School of Chemical Sciences and Fredrick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)
3. LNM, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China)
4. George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0405 (United States)

The nanometer size of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) and their unique optical properties, including size-tunable narrow photoluminescent emission, broad absorption, fast photoluminescence decay, and negligible light scattering, are ideal features for spectrally tagging the shock response of localized regions in highly heterogeneous materials such as particulate media. In this work, the time-resolved laser-excited photoluminescence response of QDs to shock-compression was investigated to explore their utilization as mesoscale sensors for pressure measurements and in situ diagnostics during shock loading experiments. Laser-driven shock-compression experiments with steady-state shock pressures ranging from 2.0 to 13 GPa were performed on nanocomposite films of CdTe QDs dispersed in a soft polyvinyl alcohol polymer matrix and in a hard inorganic sodium silicate glass matrix. Time-resolved photoluminescent emission spectroscopy was used to correlate photoluminescence changes with the history of shock pressure and the dynamics of the matrix material surrounding the QDs. The results revealed pressure-induced blueshifts in emitted wavelength, decreases in photoluminescent emission intensity, reductions in peak width, and matrix-dependent response times. Data obtained for these QD response characteristics serve as indicators for their use as possible time-resolved diagnostics of the dynamic shock-compression response of matrix materials in which such QDs are embedded as in situ sensors.

• OSTI ID: 22597723
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 120, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABSORPTION
CADMIUM TELLURIDES
COMPRESSION
EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY
FILMS
LASERS
LIGHT SCATTERING
MATRIX MATERIALS
NANOCOMPOSITES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PARTICULATES
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
PRESSURE MEASUREMENT
PRESSURE RANGE GIGA PA
PVA
QUANTUM DOTS
SENSORS
SODIUM SILICATES
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
TIME RESOLUTION