Investigation of the Photophysical Properties of the HgI2@mSiO2 Nanocomposite

• Published in: Physics of the solid state Vol. 63; no. 9; pp. 1311 - 1316
• Main Authors: Starukhin, A. N., Nelson, D. K., Kurdyukov, D. A., Eurov, D. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.09.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Distribution functions; Emission; Luminescence; Nanocomposites; Nanoparticles; Optical properties; Photoluminescence; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Silicon dioxide; Size distribution; Size effects; Solid State Physics; nanodots; mesoporous silica; mercury diiodide; luminescence
• ISSN: 1063-7834; 1090-6460
• DOI: 10.1134/S106378342108028X

The luminescence properties of a composite consisting of mesoporous silica and mercury diiodide nanoparticles formed in silica nanopores have been investigated. The formation of nanoparticles was carried out by evaporation of the HgI 2 solution introduced into the SiO 2 nanopores. It was found that the photoluminescence of the HgI 2 @mSiO 2 composite is due to the glow of mercury diiodide, while the emission spectrum is significantly shifted towards shorter wavelengths with respect to the emission spectrum of bulk HgI 2 crystals. The shift of the HgI 2 emission spectrum to the short-wavelength side is explained by quantum-size effects in the electronic spectrum of HgI 2 nanoparticles being part of composite, and the significant width of the spectrum is explained by its inhomogeneous broadening due to the dependence of the band gap of nanodots on their size d . The shape of the size distribution function of HgI 2 nanodots was estimated and it was shown that it is characterized by a rather narrow maximum at d M = 2.2 nm, which is ~2/3 of the nanopore diameter in the SiO 2 matrix (~3 nm).