Quantum Dots: Synthesis and Characterization

Semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), are among the nanoscale materials that have been most investigated in the last two decades. This article concentrates on the synthesis of QDs prepared via chemical approaches in the liquid phase. Solution synthesis techniques of QDs started with pioneering work on II-VI semiconductors and have been rapidly extended to most of the III-V, IV-VI, and group IV compounds, to various metals, alloys, metal oxides, and even to doped nanocrystals. Parallel to synthesis techniques, many characterization tools are now available for QDs, of which we will give an overview in this article.