A study on the synthesis and characterization of ternary semiconductor nanocrystals
Item Description
Nanocrystals are a type of matter with properties between those of individual molecules and the bulk semiconductor. Because the size of nanocrystals is in the nanometer scale, they can demonstrate quantum confinement, where the size of the bandgap is determined by the size of the particle itself. This means that the wavelength of the light emitted by these nanocrystals depends on the size of the nanocrystals. One of the main applications of these nanocrystals is their use in creating white light for LEDs. Much of the previously synthesized and studied nanocrystals for these applications are lead and cadmium containing compounds which come with very strong environmental and health risks. One method to get around the use of these toxic heavy metals is to use ternary (or even quaternary) I-III-VI nanocrystals (such as CuInS₂, CuGaS₂, AgInS₂, AgGaS₂, and their respective selenium compounds). We look to synthesize several different I-III-VI nanocrystals for uses in down-shifting of light for LEDs.
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