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Stefan Kudera

Publications and source records attributed to Stefan Kudera.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Electron-hole dynamics in CdTe tetrapods.

We present transient absorption studies with femtosecond time resolution on the electron-hole dynamics in CdTe tetrapod nanostructures. Electron-hole pairs are generated by optical excitation in the visible spectral range, and an immediate bleach and induced absorption signal are observed. The relaxation dynamics to the lowest excitonic state is completed in about 6 ps. Experiments with polarized excitation pulses give information about the localization of the excited-state wave functions. The influence of the nanocrystal shape on the optical properties of CdTe nanoparticles is discussed.

Anisotropy↗

Multiple wurtzite twinning in CdTe nanocrystals induced by methylphosphonic acid.

Branching in semiconductor nanocrystals, which leads to tetrapods and to more complex architectures, is the subject of intensive investigation. Here we support the model according to which branching in CdTe nanocrystals is driven by the formation of multiple wurtzite twins. This is in contrast to previous models for this material. We found that twinning, as well as anisotropic growth, can be triggered by the presence of suitable molecules, such as for instance methylphosphonic acid. In the case of CdTe nanocrystals, we designed a robust growth scheme in which the variation of a single parameter (the concentration of methylphosphonic acid in solution) leads to the controlled formation of nanocrystals with shapes ranging from spheres to anisotropic structures with varying level of branching, as both twinning and anisotropic growth are progressively favored. We believe that these concepts can be extended to other nanocrystal systems.

Journal Article↗

Confinement effects on optical phonons in polar tetrapod nanocrystals detected by resonant inelastic light scattering.

We investigated CdTe nanocrystal tetrapods of different sizes by resonant inelastic light scattering at room temperature and under cryogenic conditions. We observe a strongly resonant behavior of the phonon scattering with the excitonic structure of the tetrapods. Under resonant conditions we detect a set of phonon modes that can be understood as confined longitudinal-optical phonons, surface-optical phonons, and transverse-optical phonons in a nanowire picture.

Journal Article↗

Cytotoxicity of colloidal CdSe and CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles.

Cytotoxicity of CdSe and CdSe/ZnS nanoparticles has been investigated for different surface modifications such as coating with mercaptopropionic acid, silanization, and polymer coating. For all cases, quantitative values for the onset of cytotoxic effects in serum-free culture media are given. These values are correlated with microscope images in which the uptake of the particles by the cells has been investigated. Our data suggest that in addition to the release of toxic Cd(2+) ions from the particles also their surface chemistry, in particular their stability toward aggregation, plays an important role for cytotoxic effects. Additional patch clamp experiments investigate effects of the particles on currents through ion channels.

Animals↗

Selective growth of PbSe on one or both tips of colloidal semiconductor nanorods.

PbSe nanocrystals with rock-salt structure are grown on the tips of colloidal CdS and CdSe nanorods. The facets of wurtzite rods provide a substrate with various degrees of reactivity for the growth of PbSe. The presence of dangling Cd bonds may explain subtle differences between nonequivalent facets resulting in the selective nucleation of PbSe only on one of the two tips of each CdS rod. This approach has the potential to facilitate the fabrication of heterostructures with tailored optical and electronic properties.

Adsorption↗