Nanocrystals are already used in millions of devices, including televisions, laptops and displays, and are considered key materials for the next generation of quantum, sensing and solar technologies. However, they have not yet fully realized their potential. One major reason is their inherent heterogeneity: A single solution contains billions of nanocrystals whose properties can differ substantially. Although these particles can be characterized, important quality parameters are typically accessible only as average values across the entire sample.
"For their function in devices, these average values are insufficient," says Professor Emiliano Cortés, who conducts research at LMU's Nano-Institute. "Each individual nanoparticle can behave differently—for example, in its size or in how efficiently it emits light, meaning how effectively it converts absorbed energy back into light.
Cortés and his team show how this gap can be closed in a recent publication in the journal Nature Materials. In the study, the researchers determined the size and quantum yield of thousands of individual perovskite nanocubes directly in solution in a short time. "We have developed a light-based high-throughput method that enables quality control at the single-particle level," explains LMU nanoscientist Dr. Christoph Gruber, first author of the study.
"This is crucial for the reliable production of materials and the devices built from them. Billions of nanoparticles determine the overall performance. Instead of relying on averaged values, we can now differentiate how strongly individual particles contribute and how much they vary within a sample."
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