Optical characterization of ZnS coated CdS nanorods embedded in liquid crystals

The photoluminescence (PL) emission intensity of ZnS coated CdS nanorods, represented by CdS/ZnS system, have been enhanced in presence of liquid crystals (LC) and the enhancement strongly depends on concentration of LC. The highly light scattering liquid crystalline phase causes the enhancement in PL intensity. It is also observed that the PL intensity of CdS nanorods enhances with the coating of ZnS material. This enhancement in PL intensity is ascribed by the fact that the high optical band gap ZnS material prevents the tunneling of the charge carriers from the core CdS nanorods and passivated nonradiative recombination sites which are existed on the core surfaces. Finally, 5 fold enhancements in PL intensity of CdS nanorods have been observed by coating with ZnS material and then embedding in LC. We have also observed the red shift in emission energy band of CdS/ZnS system embedded in LC. This study will provide a possible way to develop smart optoelectronics devices.