Energy spectrum and optical properties of polymer–nanocrystal composites

Composite systems containing semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) embedded into a conducting polymer matrix have a number of key distinctions from semiconductor quantum dot heterostructures. Low electron affinity of conducting polymers results in a type‐II heterojunction at the NC‐polymer interface with electrons localized inside NC and delocalized holes with a continuous density of states. Optical properties of nanocomposites were considered accounting for the above‐mentioned features of energy spectrum. The results explain a series of experimentally observed peculiarities including various and sometimes featureless absorption spectra, large Stokes shift and activationless photoconductivity. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)