Ligand Surface Chemistry Dictates Light Emission from Nanocrystals

There are several contradictory accounts of the changes to the emissive behavior of semiconductor nanocrystal upon a ligand exchange from trioctylphosphine/cadmium-phosphonates passivation to <i>N</i>-butylamine. This communication explains the contradictory accounts of this reaction using new insights into ligand chemistry. Also, a previously unknown link between surface emission and cadmium-phosphonate (Z-type) ligands is shown