Recent Advances in Understanding Delayed Photoluminescence in Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals display remarkably bright, strongly size-dependent photoluminescence properties. Following photoexcitation of these materials, temporary charge carrier separation can occur where one or both charge carriers are trapped. Charge detrapping can reform the emissive state on long time scales up to seconds, causing delayed luminescence. This delayed luminescence has not yet been thoroughly explored, and appears to be closely associated with a phenomenon observed at the single particle level, i.e. photoluminescence intermittency (blinking). Here, some of our recent work on the delayed luminescence properties of nanocrystals of different chemical composition is reviewed. These results provide insight into the mechanism of carrier detrapping, and are discussed in the context of photoluminescence blinking.