6. Glossary

nanocrystals; crystalline particles of nanometric size

quantum confinement: a quantum property of matter at small scales that induces a change in energies when the size of a nanoparticle is smaller than a length characteristic of the material.

ligands: molecules absorbed onto the surface of nanocrystals, with a multiple role: ensuring the particle's colloidal stability and electronic passivation (i.e. absence of gap states).

charge transport: all the electrical properties of a material.

photodetector: transducer whose role is to transform a luminous flux into an electrical signal (current or voltage).