Chemically resistant and thermally stable quantum dots prepared by shell encapsulation with cross-linkable block copolymer ligands

Endowing quantum dots (QDs) with robustness and durability have been one of the most important issues in this field, since the major limitations of QDs in practical applications are their thermal and oxidative instabilities. In this work, we propose a facile and effective passivation method to enhance the photochemical stability of QDs using polymeric double shell structures from thiol-terminated poly(methyl methacrylate-b-glycidyl methacrylate) (P(MMA-b-GMA)-SH) block copolymer ligands. To generate a densely cross-linked network, the cross-linking reaction of GMA epoxides in the PGMA block was conducted using a Lewis acid catalyst under an ambient environment to avoid affecting the photophysical properties of the pristine QDs. This provides QDs encapsulated with robust double layers consisting of highly transparent PMMA outer-shell and oxidation-protective cross-linked inner shell. Consequently, the resulting QDs exhibited exceptional tolerance to heat and oxidants when dispersed in organic solvents or QD-nanocomposite films, as demonstrated under various harsh conditions with respect to temperature and oxidant species. The present approach not only provides simple yet effective chemical means to enhance the thermochemical stability of QDs, but also offers a promising platform for the hybridization of QDs with polymeric materials for developing robust light-emitting or light-harvesting devices.