Semiconductor Nanocrystal Quantum Dots: Synthesis, Assembly, Spectroscopy and Applications

This is the first book to specifically focus on semiconductor nanocrystals, and address their synthesis and assembly, optical properties and spectroscopy, and potential areas of nanocrystal-based devices. The enormous potential of nanoscience to impact on industrial output is now clear. Over the next two decades, much of the science will transfer into new products and processes. One emerging area where this challenge will be very successfully met is the field of semiconductor nanocrystals. Also known as colloidal quantum dots, their unique properties have attracted much attention in the last twenty years. These highly efficient fluorophores have a strong band-gap luminescence tuneable by size as a result of the quantum confinement effect. Control over a nanocrystals size at the synthetic stage is a straightforward way to obtain II-VI, III-V and IV-VI binary materials with designed optical properties. Applications of nanocrystals in photonics, optoelectronics and biotechnology are currently envisaged.