Luminescent Manganese in Nanocrystals

Abstract

Manganese doped semiconductors such as ZnSe are classic phosphor materials that have been in wide use for many decades, and a great deal of research has been done on their optical, physical and magnetic properties. Recent developments in nanocrystal synthesis have enabled colloidal, nanometer scale analogs of these classic phosphors, giving the semiconductor new size-dependent physical properties and allowing for applications of these materials that require solution processability. Through investigation of the photoluminescent and magneto-photoluminescent properties of Mn2+ in nanocrystals, this thesis both demonstrates that the old understanding of the physical description of Mn2+ still holds regardless of crystal size, and demonstrates several properties not noticed in the classic bulk materials. Further, application of these new materials to solar energy collection and optical thermometry is discussed.