The field of colloidal nanocrystals has witnessed tremendous progress over the past 40 years, culminating in a Nobel prize in Chemistry, awarded in 2023. Nevertheless, precision synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals, where heterogeneous broadening of the ensemble size, shape and composition are understood and ideally completely circumvented, remains an outstanding challenge.

In PSYCON, the aim is to develop and optically investigate novel semiconductor nanocrystals with a two-dimensional shape. By understanding the underlying principles of lateral and transverse growth, as well as the resulting surfaces and interfaces, the nanocrystals will reach unprecedented uniformity and outstanding optical properties. Such a next generation of 2D nanocrystals could pave the way for innovative opto-electronic and photonic applications.