Review
doi: 10.1021/acsnano.5c07838.
Epub 2025 Sep 3.
Prospects of Nanoscience with Nanocrystals: 2025 Edition
Affiliations
- PMID: 40902118
- PMCID: PMC12445017
- DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c07838
Item in Clipboard
Review
Prospects of Nanoscience with Nanocrystals: 2025 Edition
ACS Nano.
.
Abstract
Nanocrystals (NCs) of various compositions have made important contributions to science and technology, with their impact recognized by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and synthesis of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). Over four decades of research into NCs has led to numerous advancements in diverse fields, such as optoelectronics, catalysis, energy, medicine, and recently, quantum information and computing. The last 10 years since the predecessor perspective "Prospect of Nanoscience with Nanocrystals" was published in ACS Nano have seen NC research continuously evolve, yielding critical advances in fundamental understanding and practical applications. Mechanistic insights into NC formation have translated into precision control over NC size, shape, and composition. Emerging synthesis techniques have broadened the landscape of compounds obtainable in colloidal NC form. Sophistication in surface chemistry, jointly bolstered by theoretical models and experimental findings, has facilitated refined control over NC properties and represents a trusted gateway to enhanced NC stability and processability. The assembly of NCs into superlattices, along with two-dimensional (2D) photolithography and three-dimensional (3D) printing, has expanded their utility in creating materials with tailored properties. Applications of NCs are also flourishing, consolidating progress in fields targeted early on, such as optoelectronics and catalysis, and extending into areas ranging from quantum technology to phase-change memories. In this perspective, we review the extensive progress in research on NCs over the past decade and highlight key areas where future research may bring further breakthroughs.
Keywords: assembly; catalysis; fluorescence; hard ceramics; high-entropy alloy; lasing; nanocrystal; optoelectronics; perovskites; photolithography; photonics; quantum dot; quantum light; semiconductor; surface chemistry; synthesis; thermoelectrics.
Figures
Examples of
mechanistic understanding of NC formation. (A) CsPbBr3 QDs:
Reaction scheme for their synthesis along with an overview
of in situ monitoring techniques, complementary ex situ techniques on purified QDs, and one example of in situ recorded absorption spectra of 6 nm QDs during 30
min reaction (from left to right). Reproduced with permission from
ref . Copyright
© 2022 The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
(B) Cu NCs: Color maps of normalized X-ray absorption near-edge structure
spectra (left) and intensities of the Cu(0), Cu(I), and Cu(II) pre-edges
(right) collected during their synthesis with CuBr and TOP or TOPO,
leading to the formation of cubes and spheres, respectively. Reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2019 American Chemical Society. (C) Cu–Se NCs: Powder
X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of phase combinations of copper selenide
NCs (left) that result from the reaction conditions reported in a
3D map (right) wherein Cu(oleate)2 and Ph2Se2 are the precursors. The coded letters represent the following
phase combinations: (E) umangite Cu3Se2, (F)
wurtzite-like Cu2–x
Se/umangite
Cu3Se2, (G) wurtzite-like Cu2–x
Se, (H) weissite-like Cu2–x
Se/wurtzite-like Cu2–x
Se,
(I) weissite-like Cu2–x
Se, and
(J) weissite-like Cu2–x
Se/umangite
Cu3Se2. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2023
American Chemical Society.
(A) Proposed structure of iron oleate. (B) Calculated
relative
formation energies of carboxylate-capped oxo clusters with different
nuclearity. Panels (A) and (B) adapted from ref . Copyright © 2019
American Chemical Society. (C) Intermediates identified in the synthesis
of niobium oxide. Adapted from ref . Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.
(D) Zirconium halide alkoxides decompose into amorphous intermediates
that turn into crystalline particles. Adapted from ref . Copyright © 2023
American Chemical Society.
(A) Absorption and emission of 4.5 ML CdSe/CdTe/CdSe core/crown/crown
NPLs. (B) Image of a test tube containing the NPLs, illuminated by
a blue 405 nm laser diode. At the focal point, the emission is green
while it is red away from it. Figure adapted with permission under
CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2022 Dabard et al. open access).
(A) Altering
the morphology of the mercury chalcogenide QDs. (B)
NIR emission of HgTe QDs/NPLs. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2020
American Chemical Society. (C) PL tunability of HgTe NRs, governed
by the amount of ligand oleylamine and the resulting Hg:Cu ratio (DMEN
is N,N-dimethylethylenediamine).
Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society.
(A) Schematics of the nanoscale amalgamation reaction. Examples
of excellent structural assets of intermetallic NC products, such
as the size uniformity and composition homogeneity in NiGa (B), size
control in AuGa2 NCs (C), and composition control in Pd–Zn
NCs (D). Panels (A) and (D) adapted with permission from ref . (Copyright © 2024
Yarema et al.). Panels (B) and (C) are adapted from ref . Copyright © Clarysse
et al., some rights reserved; exclusive licensee AAAS. Reprinted with
permission from AAAS.
Scheme of the synthesis of HEM NCs by
top-down, conversion, and
bottom-up approaches (left), their vast compositional flexibility
(center), and some of their potential applications (right).
(A) Clusters
have been implicated as critical intermediates along
the potential energy landscape between molecular precursors and larger
III–V NCs. Two of these clusters have been structurally characterizedIn26P13(O2CR)39 and In37P20(O2CR)51. Adapted from refs
,
. Copyright © 2016 and 2024
American Chemical Society. (B) Aminopnictogen precursors (E(NR2)3, E = P, As, Sb; R = Me, Et) have been introduced
as versatile precursors in the synthesis of III–V NCs. Reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2015 American Chemical Society. (C) Molten inorganic salts
have been introduced as high-temperature reaction media for the synthesis
of highly crystalline colloidal III–V NCs. Reproduced from
ref . Copyright
© 2018 American Chemical Society. (D) Shell engineering has been
a critical issue in obtaining InP QDs with high PL QY and good environmental
stability. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.
(A) Comparison of molten
inorganic salts with organic solvents.
(B) Photograph showing the range of emission colors produced by core–shell
In1–x
Ga
x
P/ZnS samples with varying gallium content derived from the same
4.0 nm InP NCs. (Red emission is from the InP/ZnS sample corresponding
to x = 0). PL QY was 60–90% for all samples
containing 0–50 mol % gallium. (C) Reaction scheme describing
the conditions for the In-to-Ga cation exchange and the subsequent
ZnS shelling steps. (D) Powder X-ray diffraction patterns of colloidal
GaAs NCs directly synthesized in a molten salt at temperatures from
425 to 500 °C. The (*) peak originates from X-ray scattering
from the organic ligand shell. (E) Transmission electron microscopy
(TEM) image of colloidal GaAs NCs synthesized in a molten salt at
500 °C. The inset shows the same sample as colloidal solution
in toluene. (F) Room-temperature PL from GaAs NCs synthesized at 425
to 500 °C, with inset photo of GaAs NCs synthesized at 425 °C
under UV (ultraviolet) illumination. Panels (B) and (C) adapted from
ref . Copyright
© 2023 American Chemical Society. Panels (D), (E), and (F) reprinted
with permission from ref . Copyright © 2024 The American Association for the
Advancement of Science.
(A)
Periodic table representation of the metal borides, their properties,
and applications. (B–D) The most common crystal structures
for metal borides: (B) MB6 (Pm3m), (C) MB2 (I4/mcm), and (D) M3B (Pnma). Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2024 American Chemical Society.
(E) Representative TEM image for colloidal LaB6 NCs. Reprinted
with permission from ref . (Copyright © Protesescu et al.). (F) Cartoon representing
the colloidal nature and surface chemistry for metal boride NCs. (G)
Representative TEM image for colloidal Ni3B NCs. Reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2023 American Chemical Society.
Lead-halide
perovskite NCs. (A) Narrow-band PL is achieved across
the entire visible range, with spectral tunability primarily via compositional
control, and typically finer adjustment via size and shape control.
Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2015 American Chemical Society. (B) The high electronic
quality is attributed to defect tolerance emerging from the Pb-halide
bond. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2016 American Chemical Society. (C, D)
Various synthesis routes exist, including hot-injection and ligand-assisted
reprecipitation, and the synthesis can be fine-tuned via, e.g., (C) thermodynamic or (D) kinetic control. (C) is reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2018 American Chemical Society. (D) is reprinted with permission
from ref . Copyright
© 2022 The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
(E–G) The parent crystal structure offers a multitude of NC
core engineering possibilities, with compositional tuning through
(E) fast X-site anion exchange reactions and (F) the choice of the
A-site cation, next to (G) size and shape control. (E) is reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2015 American Chemical Society. (G) is reproduced from refs
,−
. Copyright © 2022
The American Association for the Advancement of Science. Copyright
© 2016, 2020, and 2024 American Chemical Society. (H–J)
Compared to more covalent NCs, the rather soft and ionic perovskite
crystal structure results in (H) pronounced structural dynamics in
the NC core and (I) altered surface chemistry, characterized by dynamic
ligand binding, calling for (J) ligands expressly designed for perovskite
NC surfaces. (H) is reprinted with permission from ref . Copyright © 2023
Elsevier Inc. (I) is reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2016 American Chemical Society.
(J) is reprinted with permission under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2023,
Morad et al., open access).
Tin-halide
perovskite NCs. (A, B) TEM images for 7 and 10 nm CsSnBr3 NCs, respectively; the inset in (B) represents a high-resolution
TEM image of a single CsSnBr3 NC. (C, D) TEM images for
6 and 10 nm CsSnI3 NCs, respectively; the inset in (D)
represents a high-resolution TEM image of a single CsSnI3 NC. (E) Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of (R-NH3
+)2SnBr4 nanosheets. (F) Cartoon
representation for the (R-NH3
+)2SnBr4 crystal arrangement. (G) SEM image of (R-NH3
+)2SnI4 nanosheets. (H) PL spectra of
(R-NH3
+)2SnBr4, 10 nm
CsSnBr3 NCs, (R-NH3
+)2SnI4, and 10 nm CsSnI3 NCs, respectively; R
= oleyl. (I) Synchrotron wide-angle X-ray total scattering data of
a colloidal solution of FASnI3 NCs (black), DSE simulation
(red trace), and residual (blue curve). (J) Employed disordered cubic
model in (I) (Pm3̅m space
group), accounting for iodide disorder. (K) Momentum-resolved electron
spectral function of FASnI3 calculated using the disordered
structure in a 2 × 2 × 2 supercell and the band structure
unfolding technique. Panels (A), (B), and (H) were adapted with permission
under CC BY 3.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2024 Royal Society of Chemistry, open
access). (C), (D), and (H) were adapted with permission under CC BY
4.0 from ref .
(Copyright © 2022 Gahlot et al., Advanced Materials published
by Wiley-VCH GmbH, open access). (E), (F), (G), and (H) were adapted
with permission CC BY 3.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2024 Royal Society of Chemistry,
open access). (I–K) were adapted from ref . Copyright © 2023
American Chemical Society.
Ligand displacement by Lewis bases. (A) 1H NMR spectra
of a dispersion of oleate-capped CdSe NCs (bottom spectrum) before
and (top spectrum) after addition of butylamine. The broad resonances
can be assigned to bound oleate, while the appearance of accompanying
narrow resonances is indicative of the displacement of cadmium oleate
from the NC surface through complexation with butylamine. (B) Surface
coverage of oleate as a function of butylamine concentration, in comparison
with expected isotherms assuming (thin line) all identical binding
site and (bold line) two sets of binding sites with different displacement
energy. (C) Calculated, site-dependent displacement energy of CdCl2 from the (100) facet of a [CdSe]309(CdCl2)51 model NC. Chloride is used as a substitute for oleate
in DFT calculations. Adapted from ref . Copyright © 2018 American Chemical Society.
Impact of
metal salt binding on PL efficiency of core and core/shell
NCs. (A) PL QY as a function of the number of ligands added per nm2 of CdTe surface area. TBACl = tetrabutylammonium chloride;
OAM = oleylamine. (B) Pictures of cuvettes containing CdTe exposed
to different amounts of CdCl2. Ligand displacement by Lewis
bases. Panels (A) and (B) reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2018
American Chemical Society. (C) Outline of a synthetic procedure in
which InP/ZnSe NCs are treated with zinc acetate after synthesis.
(D) Variation of the PL QY during the synthesis of InP/ZnSe NCs, where
the final addition of zinc acetate increases the PL QY from 40 to
90%. Adapted from ref . Copyright 2024 American Chemical Society.
(A) First nonstoichiometric
CdSe model as proposed by Voznyy et
al. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2011 American Chemical Society. (B) Molecular
orbital corresponding to a trap state localized on a Se dicoordinated
atom on a CdSe QD model. The trap state emerged upon displacement
of a CdCl2 Z-type ligand pair. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2017
American Chemical Society. (C) Typical workflow procedure to prepare
a QD model for any type of semiconductor, from II–VI to perovskite
QDs. (D) (top) QD model of 4 nm passivated with oleate ligands with
a surface density of about 3.5 ligands nm–2. Extensive
classical MD simulations have been carried out to understand where
the ligands most likely bind; (bottom) 2D map of a cuboctahedron CdSe
QD. It represented a density map showing the most probable positions
where the ligands bind. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2023
Royal Society of Chemistry.
Examples of binary NC
SLs comprising anisotropic shape NCs: TEM
images of binary SLs formed by coassembly. (A) LaF3 nanodisks
and CdSe/CdS NRs (AB2-type). Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2015
American Chemical Society. (B) LaF3 triangular nanoplates
and Au nanospheres. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2006
Springer Nature. (C) PbTe nanocubes and LaF3 triangular
nanoplates. From ref . Copyright © Elbert et al., some rights reserved; exclusive
licensee AAAS. Distributed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ . Reprinted with permission from AAAS. (D) Gd2O3 tripodal nanoplates GdF3 rhombic nanoplates. Reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2013 American Chemical Society. (E) CsPbBr3 nanocubes
and NaGdF4 nanospheres. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2022
American Chemical Society. (F) High-angle annular dark field scanning
transmission electron microscopy image of columnar AB2(II)-type
binary SL assembled from CsPbBr3 nanocubes and LaF3 nanodisks. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2021 American Chemical Society.
(G) Diversity of binary SLs obtained from CsPbBr3 nanocubes
combined with nanospheres, truncated nanocubes, and nanodisks. Reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2022 American Chemical Society.
In situ liquid-phase TEM studies of nanoparticle
self-assembly. (A) Time-lapse TEM images showing tip-to-tip attachment
of gold NRs. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2015 American Chemical Society.
(B) Time-lapse TEM images showing chain growth of gold triangular
nanoprisms. Reproduced with permission under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2017
Springer Nature, open access). (C) Time-lapse TEM images showing the
self-assembly process of gold nanospheres, with NC centroids color-coded
according to the modulus of 6-fold bond-orientational order parameter
|ψ6j
|. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2022
American Chemical Society. (D) Snapshots from simulations and liquid-phase
TEM experiments with particles colored according to the offset order
parameter Q
L. Gray particles have fewer
than three nearest neighbors and were excluded from the Q
L calculation. The insets are fast Fourier transform patterns
of a subregion of the image to highlight the symmetry of a single-crystalline
grain. Simulation parameters (solvent conditions) are indicated above
each simulation (experimental) snapshot. λ, electrostatic screening
length; Q, charge per nanocube; Sim, simulation; Exp, experiment.
Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2024 Springer Nature. Scale
bar, 100 nm (A), 50 nm (B), 500 nm (C).
Thermoreversible Indium
tin oxide (ITO) NC gels assembled by metal
coordination links. (A) Bright-field scanning TEM image of the resulting
porous network of NCs. (B) Cycling of plasmonic absorption between
dispersed (90 °C) and gelled (40 °C) NCs. (C) Chemically
tunable gelation temperature by concentration of tetrabutylammonium
chloride, monitored by in situ Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy of the plasmon resonance
peak. Adapted with permission from ref . Copyright © 2022 The American Association
for the Advancement of Science.
Patterning
NCs through (A) a conventional photolithography process
and (B) the direct optical lithography of inorganic NCs (DOLFIN).
(C) Schematic diagram of the preparation of DOLFIN Inks and the exposure
process. (D) Various types of chemical changes in photosensitive ink
under irradiation. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society.
(E) Fluorescent multicolored image composed of RGB NC patterns fabricated
by repeated DOLFIN processes. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2017
The American Association for the Advancement of Science. (F) Red and
green double color patterned film with squares of 250 μm. Reproduced
with permission under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2022 Zhang et al. open access).
(G) SEM image of patterned “bare” NCs from photosensitive
inks. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. (H) SEM
image of the edge of the patterns. Inset: highlight of the boundary
region. Reproduced with permission under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2023
Xiao et al. open access). (I) Fluorescence image of RGB pixels obtained
from PGMEA solvent. The inset shows a complex large pattern. Reproduced
from ref . Copyright
© 2025 American Chemical Society. (J) SEM images of a model of
the Eiffel Tower constructed with 3D printing by a fs laser. The inset
shows the top view. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2023
The American Association for the Advancement of Science. Scale bars,
5 mm (E), 500 μm (F), 500 nm (G), 2 μm (H) and 5 μm
(J).
Representative
strategies for 3D printing of NCs. (A) Nozzle-based
printing of NC inks. The nanoscale nozzles form femtoliter meniscus
of QD inks, which solidify into nanopillars illuminating in red, green,
and blue. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society. (B) Printing
NCs with photocurable organic resins. NCs (e.g., silica or QDs shown here) with suitable surface ligands
can be mixed with photocurable resins. The mixture can be 3D-printed
via laser writing apparatus. Subsequent sintering at high temperatures
is necessary to burn off the organic matrices but typically cause
volume shrinkage. Adapted with permission under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2023
Advanced Materials, Kirchner et al. open access); ref . (Copyright © 2021
Rapp et al. open access). (C, D) 3D printing of NCs via direct photochemical
bonding. (C) Scheme of the mechanism of resist-free, direct 3D nanoprinting
of CdSe/ZnS core/shell QDs via PEB and the printed dodecahedron of
densely packed QDs. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2022 The American Association
for the Advancement of Science. (D) Scheme of a general approach for
direct 3D printing of inorganic nanomaterials (3D Pin) using bisazide-based
linkers, the photograph of printable NC inks, and SEM images of printed
complex 3D structures with various compositions. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2023
The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
(A) Step one is dedicated to the video graphics
array format array that is fabricated on an 8-in. wafer.
(B) This wafer
is then polished to obtain a flat surface. (C) Electrode contacts
are grown with a top gold plating to minimize amalgam formation with
the HgTe NCs deposited later. (D) The wafer is then sliced and packaged.
(E) The diode stack is deposited by spin coating; the top Au electrode
is 20 μm thick and thus is semitransparent. Parts (A–E)
are adapted with permission from ref . Copyright © 2023 Alchaar et al. (F) Image
acquired with an HgTe NCs-based sensor, operated in photoconductive
mode.
(A) Sketch of the HgTe QDs/plasmonic metasurface
(ordered array
of nanoantennas). (B) HgTe QDs’ PL enhancement and (C) directionality
achieved through interaction with a BIC-supporting plasmonic metasurface
illustrated in (A). Figure reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2023
Wiley-VCH GmbH.
(A) In charge-neutral QDs, light amplification arises
from stimulated
emission by biexcitons (left). This process competes with biexciton
decay via nonradiative Auger recombination (right). During Auger recombination,
the electron–hole recombination energy is transferred via Coulomb
interaction to another electron or hole within the same dot. (B) Normalized
EL spectra of a current-focusing LED with a charge injection area
of 0.015 mm2 as a function of j for excitation
with 1 μs, 100 Hz square-shaped voltage pulses. Adapted with
from ref . (Copyright
© 2021 Springer Nature Limited open access). Emission peaks at
2.03 and 2.16 eV correspond to the 1S and 1P transitions, respectively
(indicated by red and green arrows in the inset). The EL spectra are
normalized to match the 1S peak amplitude. The recorded spectra show
a gradual increase in the relative intensity of the 1P band versus
the 1S feature with increasing j. This indicates
the increasing filling of the 1S level, followed by the filling of
the 1P state (inset). (C) An ASE-type LED that features a BRW formed
by an underlying DBR composed of 10 Nb2O5/SiO2 bilayers, and a top silver electrode. Ccg-QD denotes a compact
continuously graded quantum dot. (D) Current-density-dependent EL
spectra of the BRW device exhibit the transition from broad-band 1S
spontaneous emission (green line) to 1S and 1P ASE (blue, red, and
black lines). The device was excited using 1 μs, 1 kHz voltage
pulses. (E) The BRW device exhibits bright edge-emitted ASE clearly
visible in daylight. The instantaneous emitted power reaches ∼2
kW cm–2 at j of ∼2 kA cm–2. Panels (C), (D), and (E) adapted with permission
under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2023 Ahn et al. open access). (F) Radial
profiles of electron and hole confinement potentials in a type-(I+II)
CdSe/ZnSe/CdS/ZnS QD. Here r, l, h, and d denote the radius of the CdSe core, the thickness of the ZnSe barrier,
the CdS interlayer thickness, and the thickness of the outer ZnS shell,
respectively. (G) Spectrally tunable lasing spectra obtained with
the type-(I+II) QDs whose dimensions are indicated in the figure.
The lasing line can be continuously tuned from 1.96 to 2.10 eV (590
to 634 nm) by varying a resonant wavelength of a Littrow cavity. As
illustrated in the inset, the observed line width is 380 μeV
(=1.2 Å). For comparison, the spectra of lasing efficiencies
of traditional Rhodamine dyes (Rh-101 and Rh–B), are shown
by gray shading. Panels (F) and (G) adapted with permission from ref . Copyright © 2024
Hahm et al.
(A) Ordinary Auger recombination
of a QD biexciton in an undoped
QD (left) compared to SE-Auger recombination in a Mn-doped QD (right),
involving a hybrid biexciton composed of the QD exciton and an excited
Mn ion (Mn*) in its 4T1 state. The latter process
occurs through two correlated SE steps: (1) spin-down transfer from
Mn* to the excited electron state in the QD, followed by (2) spin-up
transfer from the QD conduction band (conduction band = CB) to the
Mn ion, restoring its ground-state (ground-state = GS) 6A1 configuration. VB = valence band. (B) Transient absorption
(TA) measurements of biexciton decay in undoped (black trace) and
Mn-doped (orange trace) CdSe QDs with a thin CdS shell (CdSe core
radius ∼ 2 nm) reveal time constants of 30 ps and 360 fs, respectively
(Δα
1S represents the pump-induced
change in the absorption coefficient at the band-edge 1S absorption
peak). The pronounced acceleration of biexciton dynamics in the Mn-doped
sample indicates that the rate of SE-type Auger interactions is significantly
higher than that of ordinary Auger interactions. (C) QD ionization
leading to electron emission occurs through a two-step SE-Auger re-excitation
process, driven by successive energy transfers from two excited Mn
ions. The high efficiency of this effect arises from the fact that
the energy gain rate (r
gain) from SE-Auger
energy transfer exceeds the energy-loss rate (r
loss) due to photon emission. (D) Internal quantum efficiency
of solvated electron production (ηsol‑e) using
Mn-doped CdSe/CdS QDs excited by 190 fs pulses at 2.4 eV (green squares)
and 3.6 eV (blue triangles). Panels (B) and (D) adapted with permission
from ref . Copyright
© 2022 Livache et al. under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Limited. (E) Schematic representation of SE-CM in PbSe/CdSe core/shell
QDs. This process occurs through two successive SE steps: (1) rapid
SE-assisted capture of a hot exciton (X*) by the Mn ion, followed
by its energy- and spin-conserving relaxation, resulting in the generation
of two excitons (one dark and one bright) in the PbSe core. (F) Multiexciton
yield as a function of photon energy for SE-CM in Mn-doped inverted
CdSe/HgSe core/shell QDs, measured using TA spectroscopy (red circles)
and a photocurrent technique (red triangles). Black symbols represent
undoped QDs, which exhibit significantly weaker CM. The solid black
line represents the multiexciton yield for ideal CM, where the quantum
efficiency of photon-to-exciton conversion increases by 100% for each
increment of photon energy by E
g above
the CM threshold of 2E
g. The dashed gray
line represents the ideal SE-CM scenario, where the threshold is defined
by E
Mn. Adapted with permission from ref . Copyright © 2025
Noh et al.
(A) Strain engineering of Wurtzite Cd
x
Zn1–x
Se.
(B) The highly strained
thick-shell particles exhibit substantially narrower single-dot line
width compared to state-of-the-art CdSe. Panels (A) and (B) reproduced
with permission from ref . Copyright © 2019 Park et al. under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Limited. (C) Antibunching signature and emission
intensity trace of a single InP/ZnSe QDs. The emission is remarkably
stable even in near-saturation conditions. Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2017
American Chemical Society. (D) Proposed dual-cavity architecture for
the coupling of colloidal QDs to SiN waveguides. The rational cavity
design may yield on-chip single-photon sources with engineered performance.
Reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society. (E) The time-resolved
PL of a single CsPbBr3 QD at 4K reveals purely radiative
lifetimes of around 200 ps. Commensurate optical coherence times allow
the amplitude interference of two indistinguishable single photons
emitted from the same QD, manifested as a dip in the coincidence center
peak recorded after a beam splitter (Hong-Ou-Mandel dip). Reproduced
with permission from ref . Copyright © 2023 Kaplan et al. under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Limited.
Coupled QD emission. (A) Schematic of the build-up process of SF:
an initially uncorrelated ensemble of TLS (randomly oriented green
arrows) is excited by a light pulse (blue arrow, top left). After
time τD, their phases are synchronized (aligned green
arrows) such that they cooperatively emit a SF light pulse (red arrow
at right) with a characteristic decay time τSF. Reproduced
with permission from ref . Copyright © 2018 Springer Nature Limited. (B) Time-resolved
decay traces for the two emitting bands, showing a strongly accelerated
decay for the SF band. The presence of oscillations in the time domain
are a very peculiar feature of superfluorescent emission of multiphotons
burst. Inset: an example of superbunching with g
(2)(0) > 2 from a single SL. Reproduced with permission
from
ref . Copyright
© 2020 The Materials Research Society. (C) Echo-like SF behavior
under a controllable disturbance, highlighting the collapse and the
revival of the collective state after hot dipoles injection. Reproduced
with permission under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2023 Wang et al. Open access).
(D) Comparison of the robustness of the superradiant enhancement factor
to static disorder in SLs of different NC aspect ratios. Reproduced
with permission under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright ©2023 Ghonge et al. Open access).
(E) Scheme for fabrication of coupled CdSe/CdS colloidal QD molecule
and a exemplary TEM image of a QD dimer. Reproduced with permission
under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright ©2019 Cui et al.open access).
(A) TEM image and (B) energy level diagram of low-fluorescence,
colloidal, milled nanodiamonds doped with NV-centers. Inset (A): schematic
of the NV-center in diamond. (C) Schematic
and AFM image of the template-assisted self-assembly of colloidal
nanodiamonds. (D) PL map of assembled fluorescent nanodiamonds. (E)
Statistical characterization of the number of NV-centers (N
eff) in individual nanodiamonds characterized
from autocorrelation measurements, where N
eff = 0 (purple), 0 < N
eff < 1.5 (yellow-green),
1.5 < N
eff < 2.5 (green), and N
eff > 2.5 (blue). (Inset) AFM height distribution
for the nonfluorescent nanodiamonds. (F) TEM image and (G) schematic
energy diagram of colloidal, wet-chemically synthesized ZnS:Cu NCs.
Inset (F): schematic of the CuZn-VS center in
ZnS. (H) Temperature-dependent PL spectra of ZnS:Cu NCs. (I) Integrated
PL intensity (black symbols) and peak energy (colored symbols) as
a function of temperature, extracted from Gaussian fits of data in
(H). The solid black curve is a fit to the intensity data and the
dashed colored curve is a sum of the emissions, weighted by their
corresponding best-fit emission intensities, consistent with (J) an
energy level diagram of two manifolds of states created by the defect,
inside the ZnS bandgap, with coupled relaxation processes. Red and
blue shaded regions in (I) represent the relative temperature-dependent
intensities I
A(T) and I
B(T) from the best-fit model.
Panels (A–E) reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society.
Panels (F–H) reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2023 American Chemical Society.
(A) Definition of the
ensemble of sites on Pd/Pt NCs composed of
1500 atoms (∼4 nm) with color varying from yellow to red, indicating
coordination numbers from low (6) to high (9). (B) Correlation between
the simulated fractions of ensemble of sites and experimental turnover
frequency at 124 °C with different NC size. (C–F) High-resolution
TEM images of alumina-supported postcatalysis (C and D) 2.3 nm Pd/Pt
NC and (E and F) 10.2 nm Pd/Pt NC. The boxes in (C) and (E) are used
to highlight the high-resolution particles presented in (D) and (F),
respectively. (G–I) Representative high-angle annular dark
field scanning transmission electron microscopy images of dense (0.659
wt %) (G), intermediate (0.067 wt %) (H) and sparse (0.007 wt %) (I)
Pd/Al2O3 samples where different loadings are
used to change the Pd interparticle distance in the catalysts. (J)
CH4 conversion profiles in methane oxidation for Pd/Al2O3 catalysts with different nanoparticle loadings
following the temperature profile (black line and right axis). (K)
Averaged CH4 conversion values at 460 °C for the Pd/Al2O3 catalysts before (‘Fresh’) and
after (‘Aged’) aging. Error bars represent the minimum
and maximum results of at least three repeat experiments. (L) Schematic
illustration of nanoparticle/ordered-ligand interlayer (NOLI) formation
and its effect in CO2 electrocatalysis. Surface ligands
(tetradecylphosphonic acid) are initially covalently bonded to the
nanoparticle (NP) surface. Upon biasing under CO2-reducing
conditions, the ligands collectively detach and form a structurally
ordered ligand layer. The starting small NCs also fuse into a larger
NC during the process. The initial interaction between ligands induced
by NC assembly is considered crucial for the NOLI formation. Panels
(A–F) were adapted with permission from ref . Copyright © 2020
National Academy of Sciences. Panels (G–K) were adapted with
permission from ref . Copyright © 2019 Goodman et al. under exclusive license to
Springer Nature Limited. Panel (L) was adapted from ref . Copyright © 2021
American Chemical Society.
(A) Steps
involved in the solution-processing of thermoelectric
materials. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2024
Fiedler et al. (B) Example of the role of NC surface adsorbates into
the thermoelectric material microstructure. Reproduced with permission
under CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2021 Liu et al. open access). (C) Example
of grain growth control through NC surface ligands. Reproduced from
ref . Copyright
© 2021 American Chemical Society.
(A) Scheme of the formulation of all-inorganic
thermoelectric-NC-based
inks. (B) Scheme of the direct 3D writing process of thermoelectric
NC-based inks with high viscoelasticity. (C) Cylindrical power generators
that consist of 3D-printed p-type and n-type thermoelectric half-rings and its output voltage and power
depending on temperature differences. (D) Microscale thermoelectric
devices fabricated by the direct 3D writing process. (E) Schematic
diagram of the used 3D printer with a picture of the printed thermoelectric
legs and their assembly into the device. (F) Comparison of the maximum
cooling gradients achieved for thermoelectric coolers fabricated by
different methods. Panels (A) and (C) were reproduced with permission
from ref . Copyright
© 2018 Kim et al. Panels (B) and (D) were reproduced with permission
from ref . Copyright
© 2021 Kim et al. under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Limited. Panels (E) and (F) were reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2025,
The American Association for the Advancement of Science.
(A) Schematics of reversible phase transitions between
amorphous
and crystalline PCM nanomaterials. Note the chain ordering of cations
(blue) in the amorphous structure. (B) Size-dependent crystallization
temperature of GeTe nanoparticles and a Lindemann criterion fit of
the dependence. (C) Crystallization mechanism bulk vs nanoscale GeTe
PCM material. (D) Schematics for the thin film deposition from telluride
molecular inks. (E) Structural properties of ink-based Ge–Sb–Te
(GST) thin films. (F, G) Switching and cycling of a PCM device with
solution-engineered GST memory layer by tuning the amplitude and duration
of the voltage pulses. Note the voltage window in F and the resistivity
contrast in G for reliable switching and reading of a memory cell,
respectively. Panels (A) and (C) were reproduced with permission under
CC BY 4.0 from ref . (Copyright © 2024 Wintersteller et al. open access). Panel
(B) was reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright © 2018
American Chemical Society. Panels (D)-(E) were reproduced from ref . Copyright © 2023
American Chemical Society.
References
-
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2023/summary/ (accessed November 19, 2024).
-
- Kovalenko M. V., Manna L., Cabot A., Hens Z., Talapin D. V., Kagan C. R., Klimov V. I., Rogach A. L., Reiss P., Milliron D. J., Guyot-Sionnnest P., Konstantatos G., Parak W. J., Hyeon T., Korgel B. A., Murray C. B., Heiss W.. Prospects of Nanoscience with Nanocrystals. ACS Nano. 2015;9:1012–1057. doi: 10.1021/nn506223h. - DOI - PubMed
-
- Akkerman Q. A., Nguyen T. P. T., Boehme S. C., Montanarella F., Dirin D. N., Wechsler P., Beiglböck F., Rainó G., Erni R., Katan C., Even J., Kovalenko M. V.. Controlling the Nucleation and Growth Kinetics of Lead Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots. Science. 2022;377:1406–1412. doi: 10.1126/science.abq3616. - DOI - PubMed
-
- Strach M., Mantella V., Pankhurst J. R., Iyengar P., Loiudice A., Das S., Corminboeuf C., van Beek W., Buonsanti R.. Insights into Reaction Intermediates to Predict Synthetic Pathways for Shape-Controlled Metal Nanocrystals. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019;141:16312–16322. doi: 10.1021/jacs.9b06267. - DOI - PubMed
-
- Zaza L., Stoian D. C., Bussell N., Albertini P. P., Boulanger C., Leemans J., Kumar K., Loiudice A., Buonsanti R.. Increasing Precursor Reactivity Enables Continuous Tunability of Copper Nanocrystals from Single-Crystalline to Twinned and Stacking Fault-Lined. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024;146:32766–32776. doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c12905. - DOI - PubMed
Publication types
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous
