Colloidal quantum dots and their assemblies for circularly polarized luminescence

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has attracted significant attention due to its broad application potential in information encryption, chiral sensing, and advanced optoelectronic technologies. However, the construction of CPL-active materials that simultaneously exhibit high luminescence dissymmetry factors and high photoluminescence quantum yields remains a central challenge in this field. Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) with excellent photophysical properties provide a promising opportunity to resolve this issue. Extensive efforts have been devoted to integrating CPL activity into inorganic QDs, leading to the development of a variety of CPL-active QD-based systems. In this work, we systematically summarize recent advances in construction strategies for CPL-active systems based on different types of QDs, including conventional semiconductor QDs and perovskite QDs. Both ligand-induced chiral responses in dispersed colloidal nanoparticles and their chiral assemblies constructed via templates or environments are discussed, followed by a comparative analysis of their respective advantages and limitations. The applications of CPL-active QDs in fields such as information encryption and three-dimensional display are further highlighted. Furthermore, we evaluate these systems using key performance metrics, including the luminescence dissymmetry factor and photoluminescence efficiency, as well as the emission wavelength range, and highlight the significant scientific and technological importance of developing CPL-active materials operating in the NIR-II region. Finally, we highlight that the integration of artificial intelligence-assisted design with precise structural regulation provides a promising pathway toward the development of CPL-active materials with both enhanced chiroptical properties and improved biosafety. We expect that this work can provide valuable insights and guidance for further research in this field.