The morphology of heterostructured semiconductor nanocrystals (h-NCs) dictates the spatial distribution of charge carriers and their recombination dynamics and/or transport, which are the main performance indicators of photonic applications utilizing h-NCs. The inability to control the morphology of heterovalent III-V/II-VI h-NCs composed of heavy-metal-free elements hinders their practical use. As a case study of III-V/II-VI h-NCs, the growth control of ZnSe epilayers on InP NCs is demonstrated here. The anisotropic morphology in InP/ZnSe h-NCs is attributed to the facet-dependent energy costs for the growth of ZnSe epilayers on different facets of InP NCs, and effective chemical means for controlling the growth rates of ZnSe on different surface planes are demonstrated. Ultimately, this article capitalizes on the controlled morphology of InP/ZnSe h-NCs to expand their photophysical characteristics from stable and pure emission to environment-sensitive one, which will facilitate their use in a variety of photonic applications.

Colloidal quantum dot (QD)-based light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) have reached the pinnacle of quantum efficiency and are now being actively developed for next-generation displays and brighter light sources. Previous research has suggested utilizing inorganic hole-transport layers (HTLs) to explore brighter and more stable QD-LEDs. However, the performance metrics of such QD-LEDs with inorganic HTLs generally lag behind those of organic-inorganic hybrid QD-LEDs employing organic HTLs. In this study, colloidal NiMgO nanocrystals (NCs) with spatially controlled Mg are introduced as HTLs for realizing efficient and stable all-inorganic QD-LEDs. During the co-condensation of Ni and Mg precursors to produce valence band-lowered NiMgO NCs, incorporating ≈2% Mg into the NiO lattice creates additional Ni vacancies (V_Ni) within and on the NCs, influencing the hole concentration and mobility of the NiMgO NC films. Passivating the V_Ni exposed on the surface with magnesium hydroxide allows for tuning the electrical properties of the NiMgO NCs relative to those of an electron transport layer, allowing for a balanced charge supply and suppressed negative charging of the QDs. Optimized all-inorganic QD-LEDs employing NiMgO NCs achieved a peak external quantum efficiency of 16.4%, peak luminance of 269 455 cd m⁻², and a half-life of 462 690 h at 100 nit.

Understanding how mechanical force propagates through polymer networks is critical for enhancing their mechanical resilience and enabling advanced material functions. Here, we report the first direct experimental evidence of how applied mechanical force travels through polymer networks, uncovered through the use of spiropyran (SP) as a molecular-level force probe. Two structurally equivalent lightly cross-linked polymers are synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization, differing only in the placement of the SP mechanophore─either in the backbone (SPiBB) or the cross-linker (SPiCL)─allowing us to precisely decouple the force pathways within the polymer. Under uniaxial tension, in situ full-field fluorescence imaging reveals initially uniform force distributions, followed by a pronounced divergence at the onset of strain hardening due to chain alignment, with force increasingly funneled through the backbone. These findings uncover a fundamental principle linking macroscopic mechanics to molecular-level force pathways, guiding the design of next-generation adaptive and responsive polymer systems.

The morphology of heterostructured semiconductor nanocrystals (h-NCs) dictates the spatial distribution of charge carriers and their recombination dynamics and/or transport, which are the main performance indicators of photonic applications utilizing h-NCs. The inability to control the morphology of heterovalent III-V/II-VI h-NCs composed of heavy-metal-free elements hinders their practical use. As a case study of III-V/II-VI h-NCs, the growth control of ZnSe epilayers on InP NCs is demonstrated here. The anisotropic morphology in InP/ZnSe h-NCs is attributed to the facet-dependent energy costs for the growth of ZnSe epilayers on different facets of InP NCs, and effective chemical means for controlling the growth rates of ZnSe on different surface planes are demonstrated. Ultimately, this article capitalizes on the controlled morphology of InP/ZnSe h-NCs to expand their photophysical characteristics from stable and pure emission to environment-sensitive one, which will facilitate their use in a variety of photonic applications.

Colloidal quantum dot (QD)-based light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) have reached the pinnacle of quantum efficiency and are now being actively developed for next-generation displays and brighter light sources. Previous research has suggested utilizing inorganic hole-transport layers (HTLs) to explore brighter and more stable QD-LEDs. However, the performance metrics of such QD-LEDs with inorganic HTLs generally lag behind those of organic-inorganic hybrid QD-LEDs employing organic HTLs. In this study, colloidal NiMgO nanocrystals (NCs) with spatially controlled Mg are introduced as HTLs for realizing efficient and stable all-inorganic QD-LEDs. During the co-condensation of Ni and Mg precursors to produce valence band-lowered NiMgO NCs, incorporating ≈2% Mg into the NiO lattice creates additional Ni vacancies (V_Ni) within and on the NCs, influencing the hole concentration and mobility of the NiMgO NC films. Passivating the V_Ni exposed on the surface with magnesium hydroxide allows for tuning the electrical properties of the NiMgO NCs relative to those of an electron transport layer, allowing for a balanced charge supply and suppressed negative charging of the QDs. Optimized all-inorganic QD-LEDs employing NiMgO NCs achieved a peak external quantum efficiency of 16.4%, peak luminance of 269 455 cd m⁻², and a half-life of 462 690 h at 100 nit.