Template-Assisted Electrochemical Synthesis of CdSe Quantum Dots—Polypyrrole Composite Nanorods

Luminescent nanoparticles have reached a high level of maturity in materials and spectral tunability for optics and optoelectronics. However, the lack of facile methodology for heterojunction formation of the nanoparticles provides many challenges for scalability. In this paper we demonstrate a simple procedure to synthesize a nanoparticle-embedded polymer nanorod hybrid structure via a template-based electrochemical method using anodic aluminum oxide membranes. This method enables the formation of interactive nanostructures wherein the interface area between the two components is maximized. As a proof of concept, semiconducting CdSe nanoparticles were embedded in polypyrrole nanorods with dimensions that can be finely tuned. We observed enhanced photoluminescence of the hybrid structures compared with bare polypyrrole nanorods.