Quantum dots (QDs) are colloidal semiconductor clusters with physical dimensions in the range of several nanometers. Since the discovery of QDs in 1983, there has been a wide variety of research interest and activity. In particular, the mechanisms behind photoluminescence (PL) and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) and the applications of QDs have been extensively investigated. Bright fluorescence effect many analytical and technical applications: QDs have found promising applications as fluorescent biolabels [1,2], in optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices [3,4], and in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [5,6]. This paper outlines some straightforward electrochemical and spectroscopic experiments with commercial CdTe QDs to explain their background mechanisms (e.g., electron-hole separation and recombination).

three-year undergraduate, quantum dots, electrochemistry, electrochemiluminescence, UV-VIS-spectrometry, hands-on learning/manipulatives