Electronic States of Lead-Salt Nanosheets

Abstract

The electronic states of lead-salt nanosheets are calculated with an effective mass model. In recognition of the anisotropic shape of the structure, the electron wave functions are separated into two parts. Motion along the narrow dimension is dominated by the quantum confinement, while the lateral motion is dominated by the Coulomb interaction. Strong contrast of the dielectric constant of the host environment further strengthens the Coulomb interaction. The calculated exciton binding energy for lead-salt nanosheets is smaller than that of nanowires of similar size but still larger than the thermal energy at room temperature, so it should be possible to observe excitons at room temperature. The calculation results are compared with existing data, and show good quantitative agreement.