Bright Future for Fluorescence Blinking in Semiconductor Nanocrystals

This Perspective describes recent progress and current challenges toward achieving a detailed understanding of fluorescence blinking in colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs). Many current models hypothesize that the NC’s nonemissive OFF state originates from a charge-separated state of the NC. This link suggests two possible approaches to minimize NC blinking, first by suppressing the pathway which leads to the NC’s charge-separated state and second by modifying the NC’s fundamental properties in order to weaken its intrinsic nonradiative processes when trapped charge is present. Examples and current challenges associated with each of these approaches are discussed. Recent efforts highlight the progress that has been achieved toward the ultimate goal of eliminating NC blinking entirely.