Our research activities are focused on the synthesis of inorganic nanocrystals (NCs) with a typical core size of 2-50 nm, engineering of their surface chemistry and their self-assembly. Inorganic NCs are versatile designer building blocks for creating novel solid-state materials with programmable optical and electronic properties. Through the proper design and characterization of NC surface chemistry and inter-NC medium, we aim to transform the individual properties of NCs into useful collective properties of NC-based solids. Synthetic work and rigorous materials characterization are the cornerstones of our research.

The present research spotlight revolves around novel metal halide perovskite NCs as well as nanomaterials for electrochemical energy storage. Perovskite NCs had emerged as the latest generation of colloidal quantum dots, exhibiting bright narrow-band luminescence covering the entire visible spectral range. They are presently engineered and tested for applications in LCD and LED displays. Due to their fast radiative rates and high absorption coefficients, perovskite NCs are also amongst the brightest light sources. With long optical coherence times, perovskite NCs make for an ideal system for designing novel quantum light sources.