Positive Encounters: An Investigative Study on the Effects of Interactions between Cations and Quantum Dots

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots (QDs), have gained much popularity in recent years not only in the researching community but also in general public. Within researching circles, there are many areas of application that are studies are honing in from the QDs utilization in cellular imaging to light-emitting diodes and beyond. In this particular study, the energy storage characteristics are investigated along with the role that cations may play. The process of ion diffusion of group I cations (H+, Li+, and Na+) through various anionic, (MX)−84, nanocrystals (with M=Zn, Cd and X=S, Se) were studied. Utilizing the discrete variable representation (DVR) method, the one-dimensional nuclear Schr ̈odinger equation bound solutions for the cations were analyzed. Utilizing these results, further investigation was conducted to determine whether or not the intercalating ions were quantum or classical in nature.