Colloidal Quantum Nanostructures: Emerging Materials for Display Applications

TL;DR

This paper reviews colloidal quantum nanostructures, highlighting their tunable optical properties and stability, and discusses their potential and challenges in advancing display technologies.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental properties, advantages, and challenges of colloidal quantum nanostructures for display applications.

Findings

Quantum confinement enables tunable emission colors.

SCNCs exhibit narrow photoluminescence spectra and high stability.

Applications include photoluminescent and electroluminescent displays.

Abstract

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (SCNCs) or, more broadly, colloidal quantum nanostructures constitute outstanding model systems for investigating size and dimensionality effects. Their nanoscale dimensions lead to quantum confinement effects that enable tuning of their optical and electronic properties. Thus, emission color control with narrow photoluminescence spectra, wide absorbance spectra, and outstanding photostability, combined with their chemical processability through control of their surface chemistry leads to the emergence of SCNCs as outstanding materials for present and next-generation displays. In this Review, we present the fundamental chemical and physical properties of SCNCs, followed by a description of the advantages of different colloidal quantum nanostructures for display applications. The open challenges with respect to their optical activity are addressed. Both photoluminescent and electroluminescent display scenarios utilizing SCNCs are described.