Until now, the wide research field of quantum dots (QDs) focused on inorganic structures. In the present study, we report on quantum confinement phenomena found in peptide nanocrystalline regions formed within self-assembly peptide nanospheres. These bioinspired nanostructures exhibit the optical absorption characteristics of QDs with pronounced luminescence of excitons whose origin is at the UV region. Theoretical estimations based on experimental data show that the radius of the self assembled peptide QDs is 1.3 nm.
REFERENCES
1.
S. M.
Reimann
and M.
Manninen
, Rev. Mod. Phys.
74
, 1283
(2002
).2.
A. D.
Yoffe
, Adv. Phys.
50
, 1
(2001
).3.
S.
Coe-Sullivan
, W. K.
Woo
, J. S.
Steckel
, M.
Bawendi
, and V.
Bulovic
, Org. Electron.
4
, 123
(2003
).4.
R.
Plass
, S.
Pelet
, J.
Krueger
, M.
Gratzel
, and U.
Bach
, J. Phys. Chem. B
106
, 7578
(2002
).5.
M.
Reches
and E.
Gazit
, Science
300
, 625
(2003
).6.
M.
Reches
and E.
Gazit
, Nano Lett.
4
, 581
(2004
).7.
C. H.
Gorbitz
, Chem.-Eur. J.
7
, 5153
(2001
).8.
M.
Reches
and E.
Gazit
, Nat. Nanotechnol.
1
, 195
(2006
).9.
L.
Adler-Abramovich
and E.
Gazit
, J. Pept. Sci.
14
, 217
(2008
).10.
11.
12.
E. F.
Schubert
, E. O.
Gobel
, Y.
Horikoshi
, K.
Ploog
, and H. J.
Queisser
, Phys. Rev. B
30
, 813
(1984
).13.
J.
Eberhardt
, H.
Metzner
, Th.
Hahn
, U.
Reislöhner
, J.
Cieslak
, U.
Grossner
, R.
Goldhahn
, F.
Hudert
, G.
Gobsch
, and W.
Witthuhn
, J. Phys. Chem. Solids
64
, 1781
(2003
).14.
L.
Banyai
and S. W.
Koch
, Semiconductor Quantum Dots
(World Scientific
, Singapore
, 1993
).15.
U.
Woggon
, Optical Properties of Semiconductor Quantum Dots
(Springer
, New York
, 1997
).16.
B. K.
Ridley
, Quantum Processes in Semiconductors
(Oxford University Press
, Oxford
, 1999
).17.
I. J.
Lalov
and I.
Zhelyazkov
, Phys. Rev. B
75
, 245435
(2007
).18.
C. D.
Zangmeister
, S. W.
Robey
, R. D.
van Zee
, Y.
Yao
, and J. M.
Tour
, J. Phys. Chem. B
108
, 16187
(2004
).19.
G. W.
Kaye
and T. H.
Laby
, Tables of Physical and Chemical Constants
(Longmans, Green & Co
, London
, 1959
).20.
R. S.
Sanchez-Carrera
, V.
Coropceanu
, E. G.
Kim
, and J. L.
Bredas
, Chem. Mater.
20
, 5832
(2008
).© 2009 American Institute of Physics.
2009
American Institute of Physics
You do not currently have access to this content.
