Electronic Doping in Semiconductor Nanocrystals

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The introduction of intentional impurities (or dopants) can address several important challenges expected for the applications of semiconductor nanocrystals. In particular, it should allow highly conducting films of nanocrystals to be obtained. Recently, the PI and collaborators have presented a new model that resolved previous problems in obtaining doped semiconductor nanocrystals. Here, we will build upon this success to synthesize and study a variety of doped nanocrystals and their assemblies. Our emphasis will be on impurities that can contribute an extra electron or an extra hole to the particles. We propose to: (i) use our theoretical model to guide our selection of dopants, (ii) develop appropriate chemical precursors to synthesize the desired doped nanocrystals, (iii) characterize the location of the dopants in synthesized nanocrystals, and (iv) move toward a unified picture of the influence of impurities on the behavior of nanocrystals and their assemblies. We will address these goals through a unique collaboration between the University of Minnesota and the University of Duisburg-Essen that will enable us to study doped nanocrystals made from both solution and gas-phase methods.