Förster energy transfer and collective photophysics in self-assembled colloidal quantum wells – FOENICS

A fundamental understanding of the coupling between nanoparticles is crucial for opto-electronic devices involving densely-packed semiconductor nanoparticles. We have developed the self-assembly of CdSe nanoplatelets chains which constitute an excellent model system. Our first fluorescence microscopy observations show energy migration by Förster transfer (FRET) along a chain over a record 500-nm distance (about 100 platelets). FRET is much faster (1 ps) than all known decay mechanisms in single objects so that densely-packed nanoparticles should exhibit a totally new photophysical behaviour (blinking, multi-excitons, single photons…) involving tens or hundreds of emitters collectively. The aim of the project is to optimize the properties of self-assembled nanoplatelet chains in order to enhance their interactions and explore optical and photophysical collective effects.