White-light emission by phonon assisted coherent mixing of excitons in Au8-CdS hybrid nanorods

Abstract

Gold cluster (Au8) coated CdS hybrid nanorods (HNRs), synthesized using a sonication assisted assembly route, exhibit phonon assisted coherent mixing of excitons. As observed from optical absorption, Raman scattering, x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopic studies, the Au8 modulates the crystal - and electronic - structure of the CdS nanorods, effecting enhancement of exciton-phonon (e-p) interactions. The e-p interaction and entropy effect mediated phase matching of the excitonic transitions, leading - via cooperative and coherent mixing of the excitons' color - to the emission of white light, has been confirmed from room temperature and time resolved photoluminescence measurements. � 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.