Recent research on the luminous mechanism, synthetic strategies, and applications of CuInS2 quantum dots

Abstract

Copper indium sulfide colloidal quantum dots (CuInS₂ QDs) have drawn lots of attention in recent years, due to their traits of nontoxic elements, low synthesis cost, and easily tunable bandgap. CuInS₂ is a direct semiconductor with the bulk bandgap between 1.45 eV and 1.53 eV. The emitting wavelength of CuInS₂ QDs can be tuned by their size or composition, covering a range from visible to near-infrared (NIR). Besides, CuInS₂ QDs possess a high absorption coefficient (∼10⁵ cm⁻¹) which makes it an interesting candidate for solar energy conversion applications. However, as a kind of versatile “green” materials, the property of CuInS₂ QDs is still at a low level compared to well-studied Cd-based or InP QDs. In this review, we first discuss the research of the luminescence mechanisms of CuInS₂ QDs. Then, we summarize the methods to synthesize CuInS₂ QDs and the strategies to improve their luminous performances and stability developed recently. Also, we introduce the potential applications of CuInS₂ QDs in light-emitting devices, solar energy conversion, and the biomedical field. Finally, we propose the existing issues and further prospects of CuInS₂ QDs.