A new study reveals a method that could one day serve as a gold standard for certifying quantum dot efficiency, ensuring that the highest-performing quantum dots can meet the demands of next-generation technologies.
Quantum dots have come a long way in a rather short amount of time. From their creation in the early 1980s to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023, they've illuminated and colored our lives in ways we never could have imagined—and scientists have nearly perfected their efficiency. But what exactly does "perfect" mean in the world of quantum dots, and how do we maintain this level of efficiency to ensure the highest-performing quantum dots meet the needs of next-gen tech?
Colloidal quantum dots are solution-based nanocrystals prized for their unique light-harvesting abilities. They can illuminate, create color, harness solar energy, and function as semiconductors. These well-studied systems have become so efficient, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) can approach unity, meaning for every photon absorbed by the solution, one photon is re-emitted in an almost perfect ratio of 1-to-1. But for these state-of-the-art quantum dots to be utilized outside the laboratory in the next generation of LEDs, screens and semiconductors, we need reliable, accurate and precise methods for certifying claims of unity.
When a photon hits a quantum dot, that photon is either re-emitted as light or it dissipates as heat. Typically, PLQY is captured by quantifying light, but this kind of data can be convoluted and the methods for acquiring it can be difficult to reproduce.
To address this challenge, a team of scientists in Belgium sought to simplify both the data collection and analysis by measuring heat instead. This work, published in Chemistry of Materials, allows scientists to verify the efficiency of their quantum dot solutions after synthesis and could help streamline the use of colloidal quantum dots in new technologies.
Read the Full Article
Accurate, Precise, and Verifiable Photoluminescence Efficiency of Colloidal Quantum Dots Sols by Photothermal Threshold Quantum Yield Analysis
Pieter Schiettecatte, Sigurd Mertens, Luca Giordano, Koen Vandewal*, and Zeger Hens*
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c02490
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c02490
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DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00183
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DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c03308
CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dot Patterned Arrays for Full-Color Light-Emitting Diodes in Active-Matrix QLED Display
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DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.4c00581
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DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c14000
Review Articles
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Oscar E. Medina*, Stephania Rosales, Nathaly Garzón, Daniel López, Esteban A. Taborda, Juan C. Ordóñez, Sergio Augusto Fernández, Farid B. Cortés*, and Camilo A. Franco*
DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.4c03984
Nanocrystal Quantum Dots: From Discovery to Modern Development
Alexander L. Efros* and Louis E. Brus*
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c01399
Scientific Insights into the Quantum Dots (QDs)-Based Electrochemical Sensors for State-of-the-Art Applications
Khezina Rafiq*, Iqra Sadia, Muhammad Zeeshan Abid, Muhammad Zaryab Waleed, Abdul Rauf, and Ejaz Hussain*
DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c01256
Colloidal Quantum Dots for Explosive Detection: Trends and Perspectives
Andrea De Iacovo, Federica Mitri, Serena De Santis, Carlo Giansante, and Lorenzo Colace*
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c02097
Colloidal Quantum Dots as Platforms for Quantum Information Science
Cherie R. Kagan*, Lee C. Bassett*, Christopher B. Murray*, and Sarah M. Thompson
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00831
