Design of Aminophosphine Precursor for Robust Synthesis of InP Quantum Dots with Near-unity Quantum Yield

Abstract

Aminophosphines have emerged as promising phosphorus candidates for the synthesis of InP quantum dots (QDs), offering an alternative to traditional tris(trimethylsilyl) phosphine. However, the relatively low reactivity of conventional aminophosphines has led to broader size distribution, resulting in higher full-width at half-maximum (FHWM) with lower photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Here, we introduce a new aminosphosphine, bis(bis(trimethylsilyl)amino) phosphine (P[N(SiMe3)2]2H), to address this issue. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we demonstrate the direct nucleophilic activation of the P[N(SiMe3)2]2H with InCl3, leading to the rapid nucleation of InP QDs at a relatively lower synthesis temperature. This enabled to achieve InP/ZnSeS/ZnS QDs with near-unity PLQY and a FWHM of 48 nm. These findings suggest a new chemistry for the synthesis of InP QDs, and could be extended to other III-V QDs for advanced optoelectronic applications.