NANOCRYSTAL QUANTUM DOTS SECOND EDITION

This book is the second edition of Semiconductor and Metal Nanocrystals: Synthesis
and Electronic and Optical Properties, originally published in 2003. Based on the
decision of the book contributors to focus this new edition on semiconductor nano
crystals, the three last chapters of the irst edition on metal nanoparticles have been
removed from this new edition. This change is relected in the new title, which reads
Nanocrystal Quantum Dots. The material on semiconductor nanocrystals has been
expanded by including two new chapters that cover the additional topics of biologi
cal applications of nanocrystals (Chapter 10) and nanocrystal doping with magnetic
impurities (Chapter 11). Further, some of the chapters have been revised to relect the
most recent progress in their respective ields of study.
Speciically, Chapter 1 was updated by Jennifer A. Hollingsworth to include recent
insights regarding the underlying mechanisms supporting colloidal nanocrystal
growth. Also discussed are new methods for multishell growth, the use of carefully
constructed inorganic shells to suppress “blinking,” novel core/shell architectures for
controlling electronic structure, and new approaches for achieving unprecedented
control over nanocrystal shape and self-assembly.
The original version of Chapter 5 focused on processes relevant to lasing appli
cations of colloidal quantum dots. For this new edition, I revised this chapter to
provide a more general overview of multiexciton phenomena including spectral and
dynamical signatures of multiexcitons in transient absorption and photolumines
cence, and nanocrystal-speciic features of multiexciton recombination. The revised
chapter also reviews the status of the new and still highly controversial ield of car
rier multiplication. Carrier multiplication is the process in which absorption of a
single photon produces multiple excitons. First reported for nanocrystals in 2004
(i.e., after publication of the irst edition of this book), this phenomenon has become
a subject of much recent experimental and theoretical research as well as intense
debates in the literature.
Chapter 7 has also gone through signiicant revisions. Speciically, Neil C.
Greenham expanded the theory section to cover the regime of high charge densities.
He also changed the focus of the remainder of the review to more recent work that
appeared in the literature after the publication of the irst edition.
Chapter 9 was originally written by Arthur J. Nozik and Olga I. Mic´ic´.
Unfortunately, Olga passed away in May of 2006, which was a tremendous loss for
the whole nanocrystal community. Olga’s deep technical insight and continuing
contributions to nanocrystal science will be greatly missed, but most importantly,
Olga will be missed for her genuineness of heart, her warmth and her strength, and
as a selless mentor for young scientists. The revisions to Chapter 9 were handled
by Arthur J. Nozik. He included, in the updated chapter, new results on quantum
dots of lead chalcogenides with a focus on his group’s studies of carrier multiplica
tion. Nozik also incorporated the most recent results on Schottky junction solar cells
based on ilms of PbSe nanocrystals