Suppressed auger recombination in "giant" nanocrystals boosts optical gain performance.

ABSTRACT: Many potential applications of semiconductor nanocrystals are hindered by nonradiative Auger recombination wherein the electron-hole (exciton) recombination energy is transferred to a third charge carrier. This process severely limits the lifetime and bandwidth of optical gain, leads to large nonradiative losses in light-emitting diodes and photovoltaic cells, and is believed to be responsible for intermittency ("blinking") of emission from single nanocrystals. The development of nanostructures in which Auger recombination is suppressed has recently been the subject of much research in the colloidal nanocrystal field. Here, we provide direct experimental evidence that so-called "giant" nanocrystals consisting of a small CdSe core and a thick CdS shell exhibit a significant (orders of magni

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Santamaria F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2897714 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature