I-III-VI chalcogenide semiconductor nanocrystals: Synthesis, properties, and applications

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals have been proven to be promising candidates for applications in low-cost and high-performance photovoltaics, bioimaging, and photocatalysis due to their novel size- and shape-dependent properties. Among the colloidal systems, I-III-VI semiconductor nano crystals (NCs) have drawn much attention in the past few decades. Compared to binary NCs, ternary I-III-VI NCs not only exhibit low toxicity, but also a high performance similar to that of binary NCs. In this review, we mainly focus on the synthesis, properties, and applications of NCs. We summarie the major synthesis methods, analyze their photophysical and electronic properties, and highlight some of the latest applications of NCs in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, bioimaging, and photocatalysis. Finally, based on the information reviewed, we highlight the existing problems and challenges. (C) 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.