Colloidal Nanocrystals Fluoresced by Surface Coordination Complexes

Colloidal Nanocrystals (NCs) with fluorescence originating from surface complexes are successfully prepared. The components of these NCs range from insulator, semiconductor to metal, with either pure phase, doped or core/shell structures. The photoluminescence of these NCs can be reversibly tuned across the visible to infrared spectrum, and even allow multi-color emission. A light emitting device is fabricated and a new in vivo cell imaging method is performed to demonstrate the power of this technology for emerging applications.