A Mechanistic Study of Photoluminescence Quenching of Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide Stabilized ZnS Nanoparticles with β-Cyclodextrin

Najran University, P.O. Box 1988, Najran, 11001, Saudi Arabia. This paper reports a mechanistic study of photoluminescence (PL) quenching of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) stabilized ZnS nanoparticles (NPs) on surface modification with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The surface functionalization of NPs has been achieved due to the formation of inclusion complex between β-CD and hydrophobic tail of CTAB. It has been observed that quenching takes place in the PL intensities of NPs on the addition of β-CD. Therefore, an attempt has been made to understand mechanism for these quenching phenomena. The detailed studies reveal that the β-CD causes PL quenching due to the electron transfer between NPs and β-CD and aggregation of NPs.