ABSTRACT
Particles of many different materials show unique properties when they are smaller than 10-100 nm in diameter. Recent developments in synthesis procedures have allowed for controlled synthesis of specific sizes and shapes of metals, semiconductors, and insulators within this size range and even smaller. A quantum dot (QD) is a nanoscale particle of a semiconductor material that retains the lattice structure of the bulk semiconductor. As semiconductors are reduced to the nanoscale, their excitons are confined to nearly infinite potential wells at the edges of the particle; this adds a particle-in-a-box energy to the bandgap energy, broadening the band-gap. A bare-core QD made simply of its core semiconductor material is very sensitive to interactions with surrounding solvents and ions, particularly water and oxygen. The electron and hole from the exciton can transfer to the solvent, oxidizing or reducing the dot.
