Future Outlook Toward Heavy‐Metal‐Free Metal Chalcogenide Nanocrystals for Optoelectronic Applications

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Abstract
Colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) represent a transformative class of materials for next‐generation optoelectronic devices, including photodetectors (PDs), photovoltaics (PVs), catalysis, and light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). Historically, research in this field has been dominated by toxic heavy‐metal‐based systems (Cd, Pb, Hg), but it is now undergoing a critical shift toward sustainability, driven by health concerns and RoHS regulations. This review provides a comprehensive overview of heavy‐metal‐free (HMF) chalcogenide NCs, including binary, ternary, and multinary systems. We analyze the fundamental principles governing their performance, specifically size‐dependent quantum confinement and compositional tuning that allow these “green” alternatives to achieve photoluminescence quantum yields exceeding 70%–90% and power conversion efficiencies of 8%–12%. This review further explores the unique structure‐property relationships of HMF chalcogenide NCs, highlighting their superior biocompatibility, low toxicity profiles, and defect‐tolerant electronic structures. Diverse applications are evaluated, ranging from broadband infrared photodetection to high‐purity color emission for QLEDs. Special emphasis is placed on the challenges of surface engineering and ligand exchange, focusing on the transition from time‐consuming layer‐by‐layer processing to efficient one‐step solution‐phase strategies. Finally, future research directions are outlined, including mitigation of ions in HMF chalcogenide NCs and development of self‐powered sensing platforms for the Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable electronics.
Funding Information
  • HORIZON EUROPE Excellent Science (101154567)

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