Highly Stabilized Quantum Dot Ink for Efficient Infrared Light Absorbing Solar Cells

Liquid‐state ligand exchange provides an efficient approach to passivate a quantum dot (QD) surface with small binding species and achieve a QD ink toward scalable QD solar cell (QDSC) production. Herein, experimental studies and theoretical simulations are combined to establish the physical principles of QD surface properties induced charge carrier recombination and collection in QDSCs. Ammonium iodide (AI) is used to thoroughly replace the native oleic acid ligand on the PbS QD surface forming a concentrated QD ink, which has high stability of more than 30 d. The ink can be directly applied for the preparation of a thick QD solid film using a single deposition step method and the QD solid film shows better characteristics compared with that of the film prepared with the traditional PbX₂ (X = I or Br) post‐treated QD ink. Infrared light‐absorbing QDSC devices are fabricated using the PbS‐AI QD ink and the devices give a higher photovoltaic performance compared with the devices fabricated with the traditional PbS‐PbX₂ QD ink. The improved photovoltaic performance in PbS‐AI‐based QDSC is attributed to diminished charge carrier recombination induced by the sub‐bandgap traps in QDs. A theoretical simulation is carried out to atomically link the relationship of QDSC device function with the QD surface properties.     

14.1% CsPbI3 Perovskite Quantum Dot Solar Cells via Cesium Cation Passivation

Surface manipulation of quantum dots (QDs) has been extensively reported to be crucial to their performance when applied into optoelectronic devices, especially for photovoltaic devices. In this work, an efficient surface passivation method for emerging CsPbI₃ perovskite QDs using a variety of inorganic cesium salts (cesium acetate (CsAc), cesium idodide (CsI), cesium carbonate (Cs₂CO₃), and cesium nitrate (CsNO₃)) is reported. The Cs‐salts post‐treatment can not only fill the vacancy at the CsPbI₃ perovskite surface but also improve electron coupling between CsPbI₃ QDs. As a result, the free carrier lifetime, diffusion length, and mobility of QD film are simultaneously improved, which are beneficial for fabricating high‐quality conductive QD films for efficient solar cell devices. After optimizing the post‐treatment process, the short‐circuit current density and fill factor are significantly enhanced, delivering an impressive efficiency of 14.10% for CsPbI₃ QD solar cells. In addition, the Cs‐salt‐treated CsPbI₃ QD devices exhibit improved stability against moisture due to the improved surface environment of these QDs. These findings will provide insight into the design of high‐performance and low‐trap‐states perovskite QD films with desirable optoelectronic properties.     

Tuning optical properties and optical rotation of 3‐mercaptopropionic acid capped organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites

The emission wavelength of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite quantum dots (QDs) can be tuned by controlling reaction time relevant to the halide exchange. It is because halide exchange with different time would lead to different molar ratio of halides in perovskite QDs such as Cl and Br. Here, to research the ligand's effect on the halide exchange, this work synthesized 3‐mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)‐capped CH₃NH₃PbBr_xCl_3‐x QDs. It was found that SH^? of MPA appeared to inhibit the halide exchange during the reation. Moreover, although the MPA‐capped CH₃NH₃PbBr_xCl_3‐x QDs did not contain the chiral centre, they exhibit the optical rotation. This may provide a method for chirality manipulation of perovskite.     

Size‐Dependent Charge Transfer in Blends of PbS Quantum Dots with a Low‐Gap Silicon‐Bridged Copolymer

The photophysics of bulk heterojunctions of a high‐performance, low‐gap silicon‐bridged dithiophene polymer with oleic acid capped PbS quantum dots (QDs) are studied to assess the material potential for light harvesting in the visible‐ and IR‐light ranges. By employing a wide range of nanocrystal sizes, systematic dependences of electron and hole transfer on quantum‐dot size are established for the first time on a low‐gap polymer–dot system. The studied system exhibits type II band offsets for dot sizes up to ca. 4 nm, whch allow fast hole transfer from the quantum dots to the polymer that competes favorably with the intrinsic QD recombination. Electron transfer from the polymer is also observed although it is less competitive with the fast polymer exciton recombination for most QD sizes studied. The incorporation of a fullerene derivative provides efficient electron‐quenching sites that improve interfacial polymer‐exciton dissociation in ternary polymer–fullerene–QD blends. The study indicates that programmable band offsets that allow both electron and hole extraction can be produced for efficient light harvesting based on this low‐gap polymer‐PbS QD composite.     

Inorganic CsPbI3 Perovskite Coating on PbS Quantum Dot for Highly Efficient and Stable Infrared Light Converting Solar Cells

Solution‐processed colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells harvesting the infrared part of the solar spectrum are especially interesting for future use in semitransparent windows or multilayer solar cells. To improve the device power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of the solar cells, surface passivation of the quantum dots is vital in the research of CQD solar cells. Herein, inorganic CsPbI₃ perovskite (CsPbI₃‐P) coating on PbS CQDs with a low‐temperature, solution‐processed approach is reported. The PbS CQD solar cell with CsPbI₃‐P coating gives a high PCE of 10.5% and exhibits remarkable stability both under long‐term constant illumination and storage under ambient conditions. Detailed characterization and analysis reveal improved passivation of the PbS CQDs with the CsPbI₃‐P coating, and the results suggest that the lattice coherence between CsPbI₃‐P and PbS results in epitaxial induced growth of the CsPbI₃‐P coating. The improved passivation significantly diminishes the sub‐bandgap trap‐state assisted recombination, leading to improved charge collection and therefore higher photovoltaic performance. This work therefore provides important insight to improve the CQD passivation by coating with an inorganic perovskite ligand for photovoltaics or other optoelectronic applications.     

µ‐Graphene Crosslinked CsPbI3 Quantum Dots for High Efficiency Solar Cells with Much Improved Stability

All‐inorganic perovskite CsPbI₃ quantum dots (QDs) offer much better stability for photovoltaic applications. Unfortunately, their cell efficiencies are hindered by the low carrier transport efficiency of QD‐assembled films. In addition, agglomeration‐induced phase change of QDs poses another problem for material and device degradation. Herein, the use of µ‐graphene (µGR) to crosslink QDs to form µGR/CsPbI₃ film is demonstrated. It is found that the resultant QDs film provides not only an effective channel for carrier transport, as witnessed by much improved conductivity but also significantly better stability against moisture, humidity, and high temperature stresses. The µGR/CsPbI₃ based solar cell shows increased device performance. More specifically, compared to the solar cell without the µGR treatment, V_OC is improved to 1.18 from 1.16 V, J_SC to 13.59 from 13.17 mA cm^?2, and FF to 72.6 from 68.1%, and overall power conversion efficiency to as high as 11.40 from 10.41%, a 12% increase. In addition, the instability originating from the thermal/moisture‐induced QD agglomeration is also greatly suppressed by the µGR crosslinking. The optimized device retains >98% of its initial efficiency after being stored in N₂ atmosphere for one month. Importantly, under 60% humidity and 100 °C thermal stresses, the µGR/CsPbI₃ devices show much better stability.     

One- and two-photon induced QD-based energy transfer and the influence of multiple QD excitations.

Due to the increased use of quantum dots (QDs) in diverse laser microscopies, it is interesting to study the excitation pump power and excitation wavelength dependence of QD-based energy transfer (ET) processes. The ET in QD conjugates with phthalocyanines (Pcs) was studied with femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy upon one- and two-photon excitation. At the used excitation wavelengths only the QDs are excited and become the energy donors. Due to the matched spectral overlap of QD photoluminescence and Pc absorption, the ET occurs on a picosecond time scale. The ET process shows strong pump power dependence whereby an increase in excitation power results in multiple QD excitations and in shorter excited state lifetimes on the QDs due to Auger relaxation. As a result, high excitation pump power leads also to an accelerated ET to the acceptor molecules from the initially multiply excited states of the QDs. Excited state quenching studies as function of pump power suggest that ET occurs mainly from the lowest one-exciton state (n = 1) and only to a minor extent from the multiply excited states (n > 1). For the short-lived, multiply excited states the ET competes inefficiently with Auger recombinations and energy transfer efficiencies of phi(ET)(n=1>) approximately 20%, phi(ET)(n=2>) approximately 7%, phi(ET)(n=3>) < or = 2% were obtained. Also after two-photon excitation the ET efficiency is highest from the one-exciton state. The experimentally determined ET efficiencies were compared with theoretical ET efficiencies upon multiple excitations. In both cases the ET efficiency decreases with the increase in excitation pump power.     

Correlating Phase Behavior with Photophysical Properties in Mixed‐Cation Mixed‐Halide Perovskite Thin Films

Mixed cation perovskites currently achieve very promising efficiency and operational stability when used as the active semiconductor in thin‐film photovoltaic devices. However, an in‐depth understanding of the structural and photophysical properties that drive this enhanced performance is still lacking. Here the prototypical mixed‐cation mixed‐halide perovskite (FAPbI₃)_0.85(MAPbBr₃)_0.15 is explored, and temperature‐dependent X‐ray diffraction measurements that are correlated with steady state and time‐resolved photoluminescence data are presented. The measurements indicate that this material adopts a pseudocubic perovskite α phase at room temperature, with a transition to a pseudotetragonal β phase occurring at ≈260 K. It is found that the temperature dependence of the radiative recombination rates correlates with temperature‐dependent changes in the structural configuration, and observed phase transitions also mark changes in the gradient of the optical bandgap. The work illustrates that temperature‐dependent changes in the perovskite crystal structure alter the charge carrier recombination processes and photoluminescence properties within such hybrid organic–inorganic materials. The findings have significant implications for photovoltaic performance at different operating temperatures, as well as providing new insight on the effect of alloying cations and halides on the phase behavior of hybrid perovskite materials.     

Localized Traps Limited Recombination in Lead Bromide Perovskites

Traps exert an omnipotent influence over the performance of halide perovskite optoelectronic devices. A clear understanding of the origin and nature of the traps in halide perovskites is the key to controlling them and realizing optimal devices. Herein, the role of localized traps on the optical properties of lead bromide perovskite films is investigated. In the low‐temperature orthorhombic phase of CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ perovskite, band‐edge carrier dynamics exhibit a power‐law decay due to the presence of structural‐disorder‐induced localized traps, which has a depth of ≈40 meV. The continuous distribution of these localized traps gives rise to a broad sub‐band‐gap emission that becomes more prominent in thicker films with a larger trap density. The presence of this emission only from the hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites points to the vital role of organic dipoles in localized trap states formation. This study explicates the nature of these localized traps as well as their nontrivial role in carrier recombination kinetics, which is of fundamental importance in perovskites optoelectronics.     

Near Infrared,Highly Efficient Luminescent Solar Concentrators

The fabrication of a low reabsorption emission loss, high efficient luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) is demonstrated by embedding near infrared (NIR) core/shell quantum dots (QDs) in a polymer matrix. An engineered Stokes shift in NIR core/shell PbS/CdS QDs is achieved via a cation exchange approach by varying the core size and shell thickness through the refined reaction parameters such as reaction time, temperature, precursor molar ratio, etc. The as‐synthesized core/shell QDs with high quantum yield (QY) and excellent chemical/photostability exhibit a large Stokes shift with respect to the bare PbS QDs due to the strong core‐to‐shell electrons leakage. The large‐area planar LSC based on core/shell QDs exhibits the highest value (6.1% with a geometric factor of 10) for optical efficiency compared to the bare NIR QD‐based LSCs and other reported NIR QD‐based LSCs. The suppression of emission loss and the broad absorption of PbS/CdS QDs offer a promising pathway to integrate LSCs and photovoltaic devices with good spectral matching, indicating that the proposed core/shell QDs are strong candidates for fabricating high efficiency semi‐transparent large‐area LSCs.     

Slow Organic‐to‐Inorganic Sub‐Lattice Thermalization in Methylammonium Lead Halide Perovskites Observed by Ultrafast Photoluminescence

Carrier dynamics in methylammonium lead halide (CH₃NH₃PbI_3–xCl_x) perovskite thin films, of differing crystal morphology, are examined as functions of temperature and excitation wavelength. At room temperature, long‐lived (>nanosecond) transient absorption signals indicate negligible carrier trapping. However, in measurements of ultrafast photoluminescence excited at 400 nm, a heretofore unexplained, large amplitude (50%–60%), 45 ps decay process is observed. This feature persists for temperatures down to the orthorhombic phase transition. Varying pump photon energy reveals that the fast, band‐edge photoluminescence (PL) decay only appears for excitation ≥2.38 eV (520 nm), with larger amplitudes for higher pump energies. Lower photon‐energy excitation yields slow dynamics consistent with negligible carrier trapping. Further, sub‐bandgap two‐photon pumping yields identical PL dynamics as direct absorption, signifying sensitivity to the total deposited energy and insensitivity to interfacial effects. Together with first principles electronic structure and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations, the results suggest the fast PL decay stems from excitation of high energy phonon modes associated with the organic sub‐lattice that temporarily enhance wavefunction overlap within the inorganic component owing to atomic displacement, thereby transiently changing the PL radiative rate during thermalization. Hence, the fast PL decay relates a characteristic organic‐to‐inorganic sub‐lattice equilibration timescale at optoelectronic‐relevant excitation energies.     

A selective determination of copper ions in water samples based on the fluorescence quenching of thiol‐capped CdTe quantum dots

CdTe quantum dots (QDs) capped with different stabilizers, i.e. thioglycolic acid (TGA), 3‐mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and glutathione (GSH) were investigated as fluorescent probes for the determination of Cu²⁺. The stabilizer was shown to play an important role in both the sensitivity and selectivity for the determination of Cu²⁺. TGA‐capped CdTe QDs showed the highest sensitivity, followed by the MPA and GSH‐capped CdTe QDs, respectively. The TGA‐ and MPA‐capped CdTe QDs were not selective for Cu²⁺ that was affected by Ag⁺. The GSH‐capped CdTe QDs were insensitive to Ag⁺ and were used to determine Cu²⁺ in water samples. Under optimal conditions, quenching of the fluorescence intensity (F₀/F) increased linearly with the concentration of Cu²⁺ over a range of 0.10–4.0 µg/mL and the detection limit was 0.06 µg/mL. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of Cu²⁺ in water samples. Good recoveries of 93–104%, with a relative standard deviation of < 6% demonstrated that the developed simple method was accurate and reliable. The quenching mechanisms were also described. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of highly luminescent and biocompatible CdTe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots using microwave irradiation: a comparative study of different ligands

We compared the effects of several ligands frequently used in aqueous synthesis, including L‐cysteine, L‐cysteine hydrochloride, N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC), glutathione and 3‐mercaptopropionic acid, for microwave synthesis of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in a sealed vessel with varied temperatures and times, and then developed a rapid microwave‐assisted protocol for preparing highly luminescent, photostable and biocompatible CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–multishell QDs. The effects of molecular structures of these ligands on QD synthesis under high temperatures were explored. Among these ligands, NAC was found to be the optimal ligand in terms of the optical properties of resultant QDs and reaction conditions. The emission wavelength of NAC‐capped CdTe QDs could reach 700 nm in 5 min by controlling the reaction temperature, and the resultant CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–multishell QDs could achieve the highest quantum yields up to 74% with robust photostability. In addition, the effects of temperature, growth time and shell–precursor ratio on shell growth were examined. Finally, cell culturing indicated the low cytotoxicity of CdTe/CdS/ZnS core–multishell QDs as compared to CdTe and CdTe/CdS QDs, suggesting their high potential for applications in biomedical imaging and diagnostics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The interaction of CuInS2/ZnS/TGA quantum dots with tyrosine kinase inhibitor and its application

The interactions between thioglycolic acid‐capped‐CuInS₂/ZnS quantum dots (CuInS₂/ZnS/TGA QDs) and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) were investigated using fluorescence, ultraviolet–visible spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The results indicated that the fluorescence intensity of CuInS₂/ZnS/TGA could be quenched by imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, gefitinib and erlotinib, which hinted that CuInS₂/ZnS/TGA QDs could be used in the detection of TKI in active pharmaceutical ingredients (API). Calibration curves showed good linear correlation and low detection limits. The average recovery was between 98 and 102%. Moreover, the nature of the fluorescence quenching mechanism of CuInS₂/ZnS/TGA QDs by TKI was discussed. A ground state complex was formed by hydrogen bonding between the carboxyl group of CuInS₂/ZnS/TGA QDs and the amino group of TKI. This led to an increase in non‐radiative transition and fluorescence quenching of CuInS₂/ZnS/TGA QDs. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The binding interaction between cadmium‐based,aqueous‐phase quantum dots with Candida rugosa lipase

As a promising biolabeling biomaterials, quantum dots (QDs) present a great potential. However, the toxicity of QDs to organisms has attracted wide attention. In our research, we introduced an in vitro method to study the molecular mechanisms for the structure and activity alterations of Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) with the binding of 3‐mercaptopropionic acid‐capped CdTe QDs. Multiple spectroscopic methods, isothermal titration calorimetry, and enzyme activity measurements were used in this paper. QDs statically quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of CRL with the quenching constant decreases from 2.46 × 10¹³ to 1.64 × 10¹³ L mol^?1 second^?1 (298 to 310 K). It binds to CRL through hydrophobic force with 1 binding site, unfolding and loosening the skeleton and changed its secondary structure. Rather than aggregating on the surface, it enters the pocket of the CRL to interact with Ser‐209 (2.43 Å) and the residues surrounding Ser‐209, making the catalytic triad more exposed. Furthermore, the activity of CRL was inhibited by approximately 15%. This work demonstrates that 3‐mercaptopropionic acid‐capped CdTe QDs may cause negative effects to CRL and obtains a molecular mechanism on QD‐induced toxicity to proteins in vitro.     

Facile synthesis and photophysical characterization of luminescent CdTe quantum dots for Forster resonance energy transfer based immunosensing of staphylococcal enterotoxin B

Aqueous phase synthesis of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with surface functionalization for bioconjugation remains the best approach for biosensing and bioimaging applications. We present a facile aqueous phase method to prepare CdTe QDs by adjusting precursor and ligand concentrations. CdTe QDs had photoluminescence quantum yield up to ≈33% with a narrow spectral distribution. The powder X‐ray diffraction profile elucidated characteristic broad peaks of zinc blende cubic CdTe nanoparticles with 2.5–3 nm average crystalline size having regular spherical morphology as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Infra‐red spectroscopy confirmed disappearance of characteristic absorptions for –SH thiols inferring thiol coordinated CdTe nanoparticles. The effective molar concentration of 1 : 2.5 : 0.5 respectively for Cd²⁺/3‐mercaptopropionic acid/HTe^– at pH 9 ± 0.2 resulted in CdTe quantum dots of 2.2–3.06 nm having band gap in the range 2.74–2.26 eV respectively. Later, QD₅₂₃ and QD₆₀₁ were used for monitoring staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB; a bacterial superantigen responsible for food poisoning) using Forster resonance energy transfer based two QD fluorescence. QD₅₂₃ and QD₆₀₁ were bioconjugated to anti‐SEB IgY antibody and SEB respectively according to carbodiimide protocol. The mutual affinity between SEB and anti‐SEB antibody was relied upon to obtain efficient energy transfer between respective QDs resulting in fluorescence quenching of QD₅₂₃ and fluorescence enhancement of QD₆₀₁. Presence of SEB in the range 1–0.05 µg varied the rate of fluorescence quenching of QD₅₂₃, thereby demonstrating efficient use of QDs in the Forster resonance energy transfer based immunosensing method by engineering the QD size. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Role of Negative Charge in the Delivery of Quantum Dots to Neurons

Despite our extensive knowledge of the structure of negatively charged cell surface proteoglycans and sialoglycoconjugates in the brain, we have little understanding of how their negative charge contributes to brain function. We have previously shown that intensely photoluminescent 9-nm diameter quantum dots (QDs) with a CdSe core, a ZnS shell, and a negatively charged compact molecular ligand coating (CL4) selectively target neurons rather than glia. We now provide an explanation for this selective neuronal delivery. In this study, we compared three zwitterionic QD coatings differing only in their regions of positive or negative charge, as well as a positively charged (NH₂) polyethylene glycol (PEG) coat, for their ability to deliver the cell-membrane-penetrating chaperone lipopeptide JB577 (WG(Palmitoyl)VKIKKP₉G₂H₆) to individual cells in neonatal rat hippocampal slices. We confirm both that preferential uptake in neurons, and the lack of uptake in glia, is strongly associated with having a region of greater negative charge on the QD coating. In addition, the role of negatively charged chondroitin sulfate of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in restricting uptake was further suggested by digesting neonatal rat hippocampal slices with chondroitinase ABC and showing increased uptake of QDs by oligodendrocytes. Treatment still did not affect uptake in astrocytes or microglia. Finally, the future potential of using QDs as vehicles for trafficking proteins into cells continues to show promise, as we show that by administering a histidine-tagged green fluorescent protein (eGFP-His₆) to hippocampal slices, we can observe neuronal uptake of GFP.     

Interaction properties of biosynthesized cadmium sulphide quantum dots with human serum albumin: further investigation of antibacterial activities and sensing applications

The synthesis of small-sized quantum dots (QDs) (1–10 nm) via the green route has garnered great interest regarding their prospective use in many biological applications (diagnosis, drug delivery and in vivo sensing); this is difficult to achieve using chemical synthesis methods, which produce larger size QD particles and also require hazardous reagents. Here, we synthesized biogenic cadmium sulphide (CdS) QDs using green tea extract as the reducing agent to produce particles that were homogeneous and a smaller size of 2–4 nm. We also elucidated the (a) protein binding, (b) antibacterial use and (c) sensing applications of biogenic CdS QDs in this present work. The biosynthesized CdS QDs were found to have extensive antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis bacterial strains. The introduction of QDs in biological medium can lead to the formation of protein–QD complexes; therefore we investigated the binding interaction of CdS QDs with the carrier protein human serum albumin (HSA) in vitro. The synthesized CdS QDs quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a static quenching mechanism and the binding constant (K_b) was in the order of 10⁴ M⁻¹. It was also observed that the presence of biogenic CdS QDs affected the HSA–ligand interactions in vitro. The synthesized CdS made highly effective sensors for tetracycline, rifampicin, and bilirubin with limit of detection (LOD) values of 99, 141 and 29 ng/ml, respectively.     

Synthesis and photophysical studies of CdTe quantum dot-monosubstituted zinc phthalocyanine conjugates

The linkage of unsymmetrically monosubstituted 4-aminophenoxy zinc phthalocyanine (ZnAPPc, 5) to CdTe quantum dots capped with mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), l-cysteine (l-cys) or thioglycolic acid (TGA) has been achieved using the coupling agents ethyl-N(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and N-hydroxy succinimide, which facilitate formation of an amide bond to form the QD-ZnAPPc-linked conjugate. The formation of the amide bond was confirmed using Raman and IR spectroscopies. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used further to characterise the conjugate. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) resulted in stimulated emission of ZnAPPc in both the linked (QD-ZnAPPc-linked) and mixed (QD:ZnAPPc-mixed) conjugates. The linked l-cys and TGA QDs conjugates (QD-ZnAPPc-linked) gave the largest FRET efficiencies hence showing the advantages of covalent linking. Fluorescence quantum yields of QDs were decreased in QD:ZnAPPc-mixed and QD:ZnAPPc-linked.     

Synthesis of ZnSe and ZnSe:Cu quantum dots by a room temperature photochemical (UV‐assisted) approach using Na2SeO3 as Se source and investigating optical properties

In this study, ZnSe and ZnSe:Cu quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized using Na₂SeO₃ as the Se source by a rapid and room temperature photochemical (UV‐assisted) approach. Thioglycolic acid (TGA) was employed as the capping agent and UV illumination activated the chemical reactions. Synthesized QDs were successfully characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) and UV–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform‐infrared (FT‐IR), and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX). XRD analysis demonstrated the cubic zinc blend phase QDs. TEM images indicated that round‐shaped particles were formed, most of which had a diameter of about 4 nm. The band gap of the ZnSe QDs was higher than that for ZnSe in bulk. PL spectra indicated an emission with three peaks related to the excitonic, surface trap states and deep level (DL) states. The band gap and QD emission were tunable only by UV illumination time during synthesis. ZnSe:Cu showed green emission due to transition of electrons from the Conduction band (CB) or surface trap states to the ²T₂ acceptor levels of Cu²⁺. The emission was increased by increasing the Cu²⁺ ion concentration, such that the optimal value of PL intensity was obtained for the nominal mole ratio of Cu:Zn 1.5%.