Enhanced Stokes-shift and dispersibility in non-polar PMMA solvent of CdTe quantum dots by silica coating

Abstract Silica-coated cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe@SiO2) exhibit increased sensitivity to UV illumination within the 300–400 nm range, allowing long and efficient Stokes-shifted emissions with more than 300 nm of separation from the excitation source. In addition, the surface modification of water-soluble CdTe quantum dots promotes a better dispersibility in a non-polar solvent (chloroform), allowing the facile fabrication of a highly luminescent PMMA/CdTe@SiO2 composite with uniformly distributed CdTe@SiO2 clusters suitable for photonic applications.