InAs Nanorod Colloidal Quantum Dots with Tunable Bandgaps Deep into the Short-Wave Infrared

Abstract

InAs colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) have emerged as candidate lead- and mercury-free solution-processed semiconductors for infrared technology due to their appropriate bulk bandgap, which can be tuned by quantum confinement, and promising charge-carrier transport properties. However, the lack of suitable arsenic precursors and readily accessible synthesis conditions have limited InAs CQDs to smaller sizes (<7 nm), with bandgaps largely restricted to <1400 nm in the near-infrared spectral window. Conventional InAs CQD synthesis requires highly reactive, hazardous arsenic precursors, which are commercially scarce, making the synthesis hard to control and study. Here, we present a controlled synthesis strategy (using only readily available and less reactive precursors) to overcome the practical wavelength limitation of InAs CQDs, achieving monodisperse InAs nanorod CQDs with bandgaps tunable from ∼1200 to ∼1800 nm, thus crossing deep into the short-wave infrared (SWIR) region. By controlling the reactivity through in situ precursor complexation, we isolate the reaction mechanism, producing InAs nanorod CQDs that display narrow excitonic features and efficient carrier multiplication. Our work enables InAs CQDs for a wider range of SWIR applications.