S-Rich PbS Quantum Dots: A Promising p-Type Material for Optoelectronic Devices

PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are versatile building blocks for bottom-up fabrication of various optoelectronic devices. The transport properties of thin films of this class of materials depend on the size of the CQDs, their surface ligands, and stoichiometry. The most common synthetic methods yield PbS CQDs with an excess of Pb atoms, which induces n-type transport properties in CQD films. In this work, we developed a new synthesis, which offers S-rich PbS CQDs. Thanks to their sufficient colloidal stability in nonpolar solvents, we established a protocol for the integration of these CQDs into thin field-effect transistors and found strong hole-dominated transport with a hole mobility of about 1 x 10(-2) cm(2)/Vs. Moreover, we were able to enhance the electron mobility for almost two orders of magnitude while keeping the hole mobility nearly the same. This approach allows us to obtain reliably p-doped PbS CQDs, which can be used for the fabrication of various electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Automated summary

PbS colloidal quantum dots can be used as versatile building blocks for various optoelectronic devices, with the transport properties depending on the size of the CQDs, their surface ligands, and stoichiometry. A new synthesis approach provides sulfur-rich PbS CQDs, enabling strong hole-dominated transport in thin field-effect transistors.