Synthesis and structure design of I–III–VI quantum dots for white light-emitting diodes

Quantum-dot-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been considered as promising alternatives to traditional light sources due to their photo- and thermal-stability, emission wavelength tunability, and so forth. For the past few decades, I–III–VI quantum dots (QDs) have attracted considerable attention. Compared with binary II–VI or III–V QDs, I–III–VI QDs possess large Stokes shifts, good eco-friendliness and wide tunable emissions covering the visible to the near-infrared region, making them ideal lighting materials. This review summarizes the current research progress of I–III–VI QDs, focusing on the synthesis strategies and structural design. The applications in photoluminescent and electroluminescent white LEDs and improvements in device performances are also reviewed, followed by a discussion on the existing challenges, and the prospect is proposed.