Synthesis of Cu-Deficient and Zn-Graded Cu–In–Zn–S Quantum Dots and Hybrid Inorganic–Organic Nanophosphor Composite for White Light Emission

Cu-deficient graded-zinc Cu–In–Zn–S (CIZS) quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by a two-step solvothermal method. These CIZS QDs exhibited size and composition tunable photoluminescence characteristics with emission color tunable from greenish-yellow to orange to red with a relatively high quantum yield between 45 and 60%. Novel white-light-emitting (WLE) hybrid composite is fabricated by integrating the blue-emissive 1,4-bis-2-(5-phenyl oxazolyl)-benzene (POPOP) organic fluorophore and quaternary CIZS inorganic QDs. Integrating CIZS QDs with POPOP fluorophore resulted in series of tunable emission colors with CIE coordinates lying in a straight line between the coordinates of the end member. WLE was shown for hybrid mixture comprising 0.5 nM of POPOP and 3 mg/mL of CIZS QDs with color coordinates (0.3312, 0.3324). Thin films of this hybrid mixture in PMMA matrix coated on UV-LED or on glass substrates with UV backlit light also showed broadband WLE with ideal CIE color coordinates of (0.34, 0.33), high color-rendering index value of 92, and correlated color temperature value of 5143 K. The hybrid composite exhibit Forster resonance energy transfer cascading from POPOP to CIZS which results in emission covering the entire visible spectral range. POPOP and CIZS QDs hybrid composite is a versatile material for WLED applications.