This dissertation describes investigations into the two primary mechanisms by which the optical bandgap of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) may be post-synthetically modified: (i) by the quantum-confined Stark effect and (ii) by exciton-delocalizing surface capping ligands. This work demonstrates that through the use of ligand-exchange strategies that enable either of...
The nonlinear optical technique, second harmonic generation (SHG), is applied here for the first time to probe single and double strand DNA (ssDNA and dsDNA) chemically attached to fused quartz/water interfaces. DNA interfaces are often a critical functional component of biodetection, thus, the development of molecular biosensors requires a thorough...