Understanding the Plasmon Resonance in Ensembles of Degenerately Doped Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Inevitable variations in size and composition within nanocrystal ensembles affect their optical absorbance as revealed by effective medium theory calculations. We critically analyzed the effects of such inhomogeneity and of the surface ligands on the localized surface plasmon resonance absorption of In₂O₃:Sn and Cu_2–xSe nanocrystal dispersions. Modeling the absorbance line shape readily provides valuable and quantitative insight into the structural, electrical, and optical properties of colloidal nanocrystals.