We report a simple, high-yield colloidal synthesis of copper indium selenide nanocrystals (CISe NCs) based on a silylamide-promoted approach. The silylamide anions increase the nucleation rate, which results in small-sized NCs exhibiting high luminescence and constant NC stoichiometry and crystal structure regardless of the NC size and shape. In particular, by systematically varying synthesis time and temperature, we show that the size of the CISe NCs can be precisely controlled to be between 2.7 and 7.9 nm with size distributions down to 9–10%. By introducing a specific concentration of silylamide-anions in the reaction mixture, the shape of CISe NCs can be preselected to be either spherical or tetrahedral. Optical properties of these CISe NCs span from the visible to near-infrared region with peak luminescence wavelengths of 700 to 1200 nm. The luminescence efficiency improves from 10 to 15% to record values of 50–60% by overcoating as-prepared CISe NCs with ZnSe or ZnS shells, highlighting their potential for applications such as biolabeling and solid state lighting.

Exploring the limits of spontaneous emission coupling is not only one of the central goals in the development of nanolasers, it is also highly relevant regarding future large-scale photonic integration requiring energy-efficient coherent light sources with a small footprint. Recent studies in this field have triggered a vivid debate on how to prove and interpret lasing in the high-β regime. We investigate close-to-ideal spontaneous emission coupling in GaN nanobeam lasers grown on silicon. Such nanobeam cavities allow for efficient funneling of spontaneous emission from the quantum well gain material into the laser mode. By performing a comprehensive optical and quantum-optical characterization, supported by microscopic modeling of the nanolasers, we identify high-β lasing at room temperature and show a lasing transition in the absence of a threshold nonlinearity at 156 K. This peculiar characteristic is explained in terms of a temperature and excitation power-dependent interplay between zero-dimensional and two-dimensional gain contributions.

Observations of radiation-enhanced superconductivity have thus far been limited to a few type-I superconductors (Al, Sn) excited at frequencies between the inelastic scattering rate and the superconducting gap frequency 2Δ/h. Utilizing intense, narrow-band, picosecond, terahertz pulses, tuned to just below and above 2Δ/h of a BCS superconductor NbN, we demonstrate that the superconducting gap can be transiently increased also in a type-II dirty-limit superconductor. The effect is particularly pronounced at higher temperatures and is attributed to radiation induced nonthermal electron distribution persisting on a 100 ps time scale.

The high degree of morphological and energetic disorder inherent to many nanosized materials places limitations on charge injection into and transport rates through thin films of these materials. We demonstrate electroluminescence achieved by local generation of charge that eliminates the need for injection of charge carriers from the device electrodes. We show electroluminescence from thin films of nanoscale materials that do not support direct current excitation and suggest a mechanism for the charge generation and electroluminescence that is consistent with our time-averaged and time-resolved observations.

In this paper we use density functional theory calculations to investigate the structure and the stability of different SiC cagelike clusters. In addition to the fullerene family and the mixed four and six membered ring family, we introduce a family based on reconstructed nanotube slices. We propose an alternative synthesis pathway starting from SiC nanotubes.