Hybrids of semiconductor quantum dot and molecular species for photoinduced functions

Semiconductor quantum dots are inorganic nanocrystals which, because of their unique size-dependent electronic properties, are of high potential interest for the development of light-responsive nanodevices. Their surface can be chemically modified, by either covalent or non-covalent approaches, in order to interface them with molecular units endowed with specific physico-chemical properties. Photoinduced electron- and energy-transfer processes between quantum dots and attached molecular species offer versatile strategies to implement functionalities such as photosensitized processes, and luminescence sensing and switching. In this review we will discuss the strategies underlying the rational construction of this kind of multicomponent species, and we will illustrate a few examples taken from our own research. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.