Kwantumdots

Kwantumdots are nanoscale semiconductor particles that confine excitons in all three spatial dimensions, producing discrete energy levels and size-tunable optical properties. The term kwantumdots is used in some literature as an alternative spelling of quantum dots, reflecting Dutch-language influences; in practice they refer to the same class of nanomaterials.

Typically 2 to 10 nanometers in diameter, kwantumdots exhibit quantum confinement, which causes their emission wavelength to shift with particle size. Core-shell architectures, such as CdSe/ZnS, and materials like PbS or InP, are common to improve brightness and stability. Surface ligands passivate defects and render the dots soluble in various solvents.

Synthesis is largely colloidal, often by hot-injection methods that enable precise size control. After synthesis, dots are purified and sometimes passivated with shells to enhance photoluminescence quantum yield and photostability.

Their properties include broad absorption with a narrow, size-tunable emission, high brightness, and compatibility with solution-processing. However, blinking and long-term stability depend on material and surface chemistry.

Applications span displays and lighting (quantum-dot LEDs), bio-imaging and biosensing, photovoltaics, and lasing. In research and industry, kwantumdots enable color purity and flexible manufacturing, including printable electronics.

Challenges include toxicity concerns for cadmium-containing systems, environmental impact, and the need for robust, non-toxic alternatives. Regulatory and supply-chain considerations also influence commercialization.

Kwantumdots were first demonstrated in the 1980s by researchers such as Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov, with rapid development in the following decades leading to widespread interest in nanoscale optoelectronics. See also quantum dot and related nanomaterial topics.