We investigate the operational instability of quantum dot (QD)-based light-emitting diodes (QLEDs). Spectroscopic analysis on the QD emissive layer within devices in chorus with the optoelectronic and electrical characteristics of devices discloses that the device efficiency of QLEDs under operation is indeed deteriorated by two main mechanisms. The first is the luminance efficiency drop of the QD emissive layer in the running devices owing to the accumulation of excess electrons in the QDs, which escalates the possibility of nonradiative Auger recombination processes in the QDs. The other is the electron leakage toward hole transport layers (HTLs) that accompanies irreversible physical damage to the HTL by creating nonradiative recombination centers. These processes are distinguishable in terms of the time scale and the reversibility, but both stem from a single origin, the discrepancy between electron versus hole injection rates into QDs. Based on experimental and calculation results, we propose mechanistic models for the operation of QLEDs in individual quantum dot levels and their degradation during operation and offer rational guidelines that promise the realization of high-performance QLEDs with proven operational stability.

Quantum dot light‐emitting diodes (QLEDs) are one of the most promising candidates for next‐generation displays and lighting sources, but they are barely used because vulnerability to electrical and thermal stresses precludes high brightness, efficiency, and stability at high current density (J) regimes. Here, bright and stable QLEDs on a Si substrate are demonstrated, expanding their potential application boundary over the present art. First, a tailored interface is granted to the quantum dots, maximizing the quantum yield and mitigating nonradiative Auger decay of the multiexcitons generated at high‐J regimes. Second, a heat‐endurable, top‐emission device architecture is employed and optimized based on optical simulation to enhance the light outcoupling efficiency. The multilateral approaches realize that the red top‐emitting QLEDs exhibit a maximum luminance of 3 300 000 cd m−2, a current efficiency of 75.6 cd A−1, and an operational lifetime of 125 000 000 h at an initial brightness of 100 cd m−2, which are the highest of the values reported so far.

Advance in wet chemistry enables the sophisticated design of nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) and allows unprecedented color purity and brightness, promising their useful applications in a variety of light-emitting applications. A representative example is core/shell heterostructures, in which charge carriers are effectively decoupled from structural artifacts to generate photons efficiently. Despite the development of widely accepted synthetic protocols for Cd- or Pb-based QDs, the progress in heterostructuring environmentally benign QDs has been lagging behind, and so is the practical use of these QDs. Herein, we present a design principle for InP/ZnSe x S1–x heterostructured QDs. A principal design approach is the growth of uniformly thick inorganic shell consisting of a ZnSe x S1–x inner shell and a ZnS outermost shell that effectively confines electrons from spreading inward of QDs. Comprehensive studies across synthesis, spectroscopic analysis, and calculation uncover that the presence of Se near the InP emissive core enables a uniform shell growth to an extended thickness and the S-rich exterior shell ensures the decoupling of the electron wave function from the surface trap states. Engineering composition profile across multiple shells enables us to realize InP/thick-shell QDs meeting the requirements of light-emitting applications such as high photoluminescence quantum yield, narrow spectral bandwidth, and enhanced photochemical robustness. We capitalize on bright, robust, and color-pure InP/ZnSe x S1–x /ZnS QDs with a range of emission wavelength covering from cyan to red regions by exemplifying their use in the primary-color light-emitting diodes (peak external quantum efficiency of 3.78 and 3.92% for green- and red-emitting ones, respectively).

Establishing multi-colour patterning technology for colloidal quantum dots is critical for realising high-resolution displays based on the material. Here, we report a solution-based processing method to form patterns of quantum dots using a light-driven ligand crosslinker, ethane-1,2-diyl bis(4-azido-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzoate). The crosslinker with two azide end groups can interlock the ligands of neighbouring quantum dots upon exposure to UV, yielding chemically robust quantum dot films. Exploiting the light-driven crosslinking process, different colour CdSe-based core-shell quantum dots can be photo-patterned; quantum dot patterns of red, green and blue primary colours with a sub-pixel size of 4 μm × 16 μm, corresponding to a resolution of >1400 pixels per inch, are demonstrated. The process is non-destructive, such that photoluminescence and electroluminescence characteristics of quantum dot films are preserved after crosslinking. We demonstrate that red crosslinked quantum dot light-emitting diodes exhibiting an external quantum efficiency as high as 14.6% can be obtained.

The potential profile and the energy level offset of core/shell heterostructured nanocrystals (h-NCs) determine the photophysical properties and the charge transport characteristics of h-NC solids. However, limited material choices for heavy metal-free III-V/II-VI h-NCs pose challenges in comprehensive control of the potential profile. Herein, we present an unprecedented approach to such control by steering dipole moments at the interface of III-V/II-VI h-NCs. The controllable heterovalency at the interface is responsible for interfacial dipole moments that result in the vacuum-level shift, providing an additional knob for the control of optical and electrical characteristics of h-NCs. We capitalize on the atomic precision with which to synthesize h-NCs by correlating interfacial dipole moments to photochemical stability and optoelectronic performance of resulting h-NCs.