Abstract

Despite their humble origin, colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and other nanocrystalline semiconductors prepared in simple laboratory flasks are finding real-world applications in demanding technologies from displays and lighting to photovoltaics and photodetectors, and in the future they may be the basis for single-photon devices in quantum networks. Beyond quantum size control, we pursue an expanded “structural toolbox” to synthetically engineer this class of nanomaterial to realize specific novel and optimal photophysical properties. Here, I will describe our efforts to understand the synthesis-nanostructure-properties correlations that lay the groundwork for a materials-by-design approach to the next generation of useful semiconductor nanocrystals, as well as the opportunity to further enhance and transform nanomaterial properties by integration with other synthesized or fabricated materials.