Nanoparticles (NPs) are singularly promising building blocks for fabricating mesoscale materials with parameters tunable in wide ranges. NPs are rapidly gaining acceptance and inducing excitement for numerous optoelectronic applications, including third generation solar cells, light emitting diodes, and field effect transistors, or FETs. There is also a growing sense that NPs can play a helpful role in photocatalysis. (1) In the first half of this talk light absorption in isolated NPs is discussed, with focus on boosting the absorption (1.1) in the high energy sector of the solar spectrum by Multiple Exciton Generation, and (1.2) in the low energy sector by the Intermediate Band mechanism. (2) In the second half, we discuss charge carrier transport in NP solids. Over the years, we have developed the Hierarchical Nanoparticle Transport Simulator (HiNTS) that combines ab initio single NP modeling and NP-NP transition modeling into a Kinetic-Monte-Carlo-based simulation of the transport in NP solids. Using HiNTS, we will discuss (2.1) the Metal-Insulator Transition in NP solids, (2.2) percolative physics in Binary NP solids, and (2.3) the Coulomb blockade inducing commensuration effects in NP FETs, exponentially suppressing the carrier mobility as the gate voltage is tuned. All three phenomena will be extensively analyzed in their natural multidimensional parameter space. Approaching and possibly crossing the Metal-Insulator Transition, overcoming percolation problems, and avoiding the Coulomb blockade suppressing carrier mobility are all important to optimize carrier transport in Nanoparticle solids. These results can be helpful to adapt Nanoparticle solids for eventual Photocatalytic applications.

Absorption and transport in thin nanoparticle solids

256th National Meeting (2018)

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