Abstract
Inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals, or quantum dots, are widely used in commercial displays and imaging technology. They could be used in additional optoelectronic applications if their charge-transport properties could be improved without dimming their intense luminescence. A new study reports a way to do that by treating the crystals with metal salts to customize the quantum dots’ surface chemistry ( Nat. Commun. 2023, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35702-7 ). Quantum dots are typically capped with long-chain hydrocarbon ligands to control crystal growth and stabilize the particles in colloidal suspensions. They also form electrically insulating barriers that impede charge flow between particles, a property needed for electronic applications. Replacing the organic ligands with inorganic ones can boost charge transport, but that approach can reduce luminescence by over 75%. Yuanyuan Wang of Nanjing University, Dmitri V. Talapin of the University of Chicago, and coworkers treated organically capped quantum dots with salts of cadmium, zinc, and other
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