HgTe colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) are used as the sensitizing layer with a scalable, all air-processed patterning method to produce flexible room temperature multicolor detectors operating in the mid-infrared (MIR) spectral region. These devices demonstrate a “color” sensitivity down to 300 nm in the MIR (∼10% of scale), with superior responsivities for this class of device, up to 0.9 A/W, and competitive specific detectivity up to 8 × 109 Jones at 200 Hz and 300 K. Furthermore, these devices utilize a cheap and robust substrate material that allows operation after deformation up to 45° without degradation over many cycles. As such, this offers a template for ultra low-cost MIR detectors with a performance that rivals microbolometers, but with better measurement speed and spectral sensitivity. As such, these devices showcase the advantages of using colloidal NCs in MIR applications.

Perovskite nanocrystals have shown themselves to be useful for both absorption- and emission-based applications, including solar cells, photodetectors, and LEDs. Here we present a new class of size-, composition-, and shape-tunable nanocrystals made from Tl3PbX5 (X= Cl, Br, I). These can be synthesized via colloidal methods to produce faceted spheroidal nanocrystals, and perovskite TlPbI3 nanowires. Crystal structures for the orthorhombic and tetragonal phase materials, for both pure and mixed halide species, are compared to the literature and also calculated from first-principles in VASP. We show the ability to tune the band gap by halide substitution to create materials that can absorb strongly between 250 and 450 nm. In addition, we show evidence of the confinement effect in pure halide Tl3PbBr5 nanocrystals suggesting size-tuning is possible as well. By tuning the band gap we can create materials with specific absorption spectra suitable for photodetection that display conduction and photoresponse properties similar to previously observed perovskite nanocrystals. We also observe weak emission consistent with indirect band-gap materials. Finally, we are able to demonstrate shape control in these materials, to give some insight into observable phase changes with varying reaction conditions, and to demonstrate the utility of the TlPbI3 perovskite nanowires as wide-band-gap photoconductors. These novel perovskite nanocrystalline materials can be expected to find applications in photodetectors, X-ray detectors, and piezoelectrics.

Nanocrystal-based electronic devices with multiple functionalities offer one avenue toward novel passive and active electronic components. Here, we exhibit a planar and fully air-processed thin film device that demonstrates a photoinduced memristive behavior and can be used as a transistor, photodetector, or memory device. Following long-term (60 h) air exposure, unpackaged nanocrystal films develop reliable memristive characteristics in tandem with temperature, gate, and photoresponse. The on/off values of more than 50 are achieved, and the devices show long-term stability, producing repeatable metrics over days of measurement. The on/off behavior is shown to be dependent on the previous charge flow and carrier density, implying a memristive rather than switching behavior. These observations are described within a long-term trap-filling model. This work represents an advance in the integration of nanocrystal films into electronic devices, which may lead to the development of multifunctional electronic components.