Water-powered quantum dots enhance light detection with tunable performance

Water molecules make up the essence of life on Earth, playing a crucial role in countless biological and chemical processes. Each water molecule, with its positively charged hydrogen atoms and negatively charged oxygen, acts as a tiny magnet that can interact with and transport other materials. At the same time, advances in nanotechnology have produced quantum dots – semiconductor particles mere billionths of a meter in size that exhibit unique electrical and optical properties. Despite their promise for next-generation electronics, quantum dots face a fundamental limitation: the electrical charges they generate tend to stay trapped within individual particles instead of flowing freely where needed.