Probing the Wave Function Delocalization in CdSe/CdS Dot-in-Rod Nanocrystals by Time- and Temperature-Resolved Spectroscopy

Colloidal semiconductor quantum structures allow controlling the strong confinement of charge carriers through material composition and geometry. Besides being a unique platform to study fundamental effects, these materials attracted considerable interest due to their potential in opto-electronic and quantum communication applications. Heteronanostructures like CdSe/CdS offer new prospects to tailor their optical properties as they take advantage of a small conduction band offset allowing tunability of the electron delocalization from type-I toward quasi-type-II. Here, we report on a detailed study of the exciton recombination dynamics in CdSe/CdS heterorods. We observed a clear size-dependent radiative lifetime, which can be linked to the different degree of electron wave function (de)localization. Moreover, by increasing the temperature from 70 to 300 K, we observed a considerable increase of the radiative lifetime, clearly demonstrating a reduction of the conduction band offset at higher temperatures. Understanding and controlling electron delocalization In such heterostructures will be pivotal for realizing efficient and low-cost photonic devices.