Determination of the electronic energy levels of colloidal nanocrystals using field-effect transistors and Ab-initio calculations

Abstract

Colloidal nanocrystals electronic energy levels are determined by strong size-dependent quantum confinement. Understanding the configuration of the energy levels of nanocrystal superlattices is vital in order to use them in heterostructures with other materials. A powerful method is reported to determine the energy levels of PbS nanocrystal assemblies by combining the utilization of electric-double-layer-gated transistors and advanced ab-initio theory.

Keywords: ab-initio; colloidal nanocrystals; field-effect transistors; ionic liquid; quantum dots.