Plasma-Electrified Synthesis for Zero-Dimensional Semiconductor and Metal Nanostructures

Nanomaterials with tunable properties are the forefront of materials research owing to their significance in numerous application fields, including biomedical, optoelectronics, nanocatalysis and energy conversion and storage. However, achieving this in a catalyst-free, low-temperature, rapid, and environmentally friendly manner is challenging. Here we utilize non-equilibrium and low-temperature microplasmas to synthesize zero-dimensional (0D) structure-controlled semiconductor and metal quantum dots (QDs) at ambient conditions without any additional toxic chemicals, expensive catalysts, and sophisticated vacuum technologies. The reactive species generated by the plasma enable not only rapid disassembly of precursors into small moieties, but also simultaneous reconstruction of crystalline cluster domains and nucleation into QDs. Among various QDs, polyethylene terephthalate-derived GQDs (PET-GQDs) exhibit stable white emission under 365 nm UV irradiation with a <i>Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage</i> 1931 of (0.29, 0.35). The colloidal PET-GQDs can be applied for heavy metal ions detection with a low limit of detection of 8.4 nM, while the composite film state can be utilized as a sensitive temperature tag from 10 – 80 °C and a high-brightness white LED panel. This work provides new insights into the effective mechanisms for QD growth in a renewable electricity-driven, scalable, and environmentally sustainable way.