Cadmium selenide quantum dot doping of organic-inorganic hybrid materials derived by sol-gel processing

Nanosized phenyl-capped CdSe particles (quantum dots) were isolated, after preparation inside reversed micelles present in AOT/H/sub 2/O/heptane, and then successfully redispersed in amine-functionalised ormosils derived from 3-aminopropyl(trimethoxy)silane (i.e. SA). Doped ormosils were formed into films of a few /spl mu/m thickness or small bulk samples. Host ormosils were structurally characterised by means of absorption spectroscopy, in the near- and mid-infrared ranges, and by /sup 29/Si and /sup 13/C solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Doped ormosils were prepared and investigated via visible spectroscopy. The size of CdSe particles dispersed into the aminosrmosil hosts was calculated using the effective mass model.