Quantum dots are very small particles whose properties can be changed by changing the size, shape, or composition of the dot. This research is about understanding the interactions between these quantum dots that have been arranged into ordered solids Once the quantum dots are organized into ordered solids, called a super-lattice, then the solids exhibit new optical and electronic properties that arise from the interaction between the quantum dots. The properties of the quantum dot super-lattices are controllable by changing the coupling between the quantum dots. The electronic coupling is changed by controlling the distance between particles, by connecting the quantum dots with bridges, or by filling in the spaces between the dots with another material. This research seeks to fabricate more ordered quantum dot super-lattices to explore materials properties with utilization in devices like solar cells, photodetectors, and thermoelectrics. However, it is hard to investigate structures that one cannot see. To overcome this roadblock, the use of high-resolution scanning transmission electron tomography with near-atomic direct-space imaging will be developed. This new high-resolution tomographic data will provide sufficient detail to provide feedback between sample fabrication and resulting superlattice order to enable the fabrication of more perfect samples with larger super-lattice domains, more evenly distributed bridges, and fewer defects. The new high-resolution data will also enable new theoretical approaches to model the interaction between quantum dots in the solid so that increases in super-lattice order can be tied to specific changes in the optical and electronic properties. The long-term goal is to develop solids from quantum dots that are perfect enough to increase the charge mobility by about ten times. This research will be shared with the public by publishing the scanning transmission electron tomography data on a publicly downloadable forum and creating non-technical educational videos about the materials to be published on the internet. Outreach and education to underserved communities will provide hands-on STEM training.
Colloidal quantum-dots (QDs), organized in a super-lattice, have demonstrated collective electronic and excitonic behavior across mesoscale dimensions. The specifics of how small degrees of spatial disorder, surface chemical defects, and epitaxial defects affect this collective behavior or how to fabricate more perfect super-lattice structures are not understood. This project will use tomographic imaging with a resolution of 4-5 Å over 1000s of QDs to measure these small degrees of structural disorder in real space. This research has a strong emphasis on improving the imaging technique to enable higher resolution and to improve the reconstruction technique to increase the image volume. These improvements to the image quality will enable near atomic mapping of all QDs, necks, and defects, driving improvement in fabrication, structural control, and understanding of electronic structure/property relationships. The feedback of near atomic resolution imaging will enable improved fabrication with the goals of 100% neck connectivity and uniformity with super-lattice grain sizes of at least 10 µm and charge mobility approaching 50 cm2 V-1 s-1. The improved sample quality and high-resolution 3D real-space imaging will facilitate theoretical approaches that can study hopping vs. charge transport through delocalized ?mini-bands? and will be validated by variable-temperature Hall-effect measurements. The proposed tomography pushes the limits of resolution/volume achieving reconstructions of large mesoscale samples with high spatial resolution. The expected outcome is multiple ultra-high-resolution tomograms that inform the structure formation mechanism, improved fabrication, mass transport to form QD-QD necks, and spatial resolution to inform realistic electronic modeling based on data. The research goals are multi-pronged with focus on fabrication design rules that can be applied to other QD super-lattices, improved scanning transmission electron tomography techniques to enhance tomogram spatial resolution and data interpretation, and mesoscale modeling of delocalized transport using real spatial data. By combining these approaches this project connects between nanoscale structure, mesoscale order, and bulk materials properties.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
