Colloidal Nanocrystals - From Individual Quantum Objects to Building Blocks for Honeycomb Semiconductors

Explore the fascinating world of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals in this 45-minute keynote presentation by Daniel Vanmaekelbergh from the University of Utrecht. Delivered as part of the Symposium X series at the 2015 MRS Spring Meeting, delve into the advancements in wet-chemical synthesis of II-VI, IV-VI, and III-V compound nanocrystals over the past two decades. Discover the advantages of colloidal quantum dots over solid-state quantum dots, including their non-interacting nature, availability in large quantities, and potential as building blocks for complex materials. Examine the optical spectroscopy findings on ensembles and single colloidal nanocrystals, revealing phenomena such as emission blinking and bi-exciton vs. exciton emission. Learn about electron-tunneling spectroscopy's role in uncovering discrete energy levels and quantum coupling in quantum dot arrays. Investigate the self-assembly of colloidal nanocrystals, distinguishing between non-reactive assembly driven by dispersion forces and entropy, and reactive assembly driven by facet-to-facet chemical bonding. Explore the resulting single-component and binary nanocrystal superlattices, as well as two-dimensional atomically coherent semiconductors, with a focus on honeycomb semiconductors and their potential for Dirac-type electronic conduction and the quantum spin Hall effect.