Published in Chemistry World, 10 May 2009
Researchers in the US have created the first semiconductor nanocrystals that do not intermittently ‘blink’ while emitting light. The breakthrough, which the researchers believe to be a result of a smooth transition in composition, may give way to a new breed of nanocrystals for applications ranging from biological imaging to low-threshold lasers.
Semiconductor nanocrystals are potentially attractive because their optical and electronic properties are strongly related to their size. So to change the emitted colour from blue to red, for example, a nanocrystal would only have to be grown several times larger. This is, however, impossible for more conventional semiconductors like gallium arsenide, because they would have to be so heavily doped they would no longer be a pure material. […]
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