The Fine-Structure Constant as a Ruler for the Band-Edge Light Absorption Strength of Bulk and Quantum-Confined Semiconductors

Low-dimensional semiconductors have found numerous applications in optoelectronics. However, a quantitative comparison of the absorption strength of low-dimensional versus bulk semiconductors has remained elusive. Here, we report generality in the band-edge light absorptance of semiconductors, independent of their dimensions. First, we...

Room-Temperature Electron Transport in Self-Assembled Sheets of PbSe Nanocrystals with a Honeycomb Nanogeometry

It has been shown recently that atomically coherent superstructures of a nanocrystal monolayer in thickness can be prepared by self-assembly of monodisperse PbSe nanocrystals, followed by oriented attachment. Superstructures with a honeycomb nanogeometry are of special interest, as theory has shown that they are regular 2-D semiconductors,...

Transport Properties of a Two-Dimensional PbSe Square Superstructure in an Electrolyte-Gated Transistor

Self-assembled nanocrystal solids show promise as a versatile platform for novel optoelectronic materials. Superlattices composed of a single layer of lead-chalcogenide and cadmium-chalcogenide nanocrystals with epitaxial connections between the nanocrystals, present outstanding questions to the community regarding their predicted band...

In Situ Spectroelectrochemical Determination of Energy Levels and Energy Level Offsets in Quantum-Dot Heterojunctions

Charge transfer in semiconductor heterojunctions is largely governed by the offset in the energy levels of the constituent materials. Unfortunately, literature values for such energy level offsets vary widely and are usually based on energy levels of the individual materials rather than of actual heterojunctions. Here we present a new method...

Electronic coupling of colloidal CdSe nanocrystals monitored by thin-film positron-electron momentum density methods

The effect of temperature controlled annealing on the confined valence electron states in CdSe nanocrystal arrays, deposited as thin films, was studied using two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation. A reduction in the intensity by ?35% was observed in a feature of the positron annihilation spectrum upon removal of the...