Abstract
In response to the demands for energy and the concerns of
global warming and climate change, energy efficient and
environmentally friendly solid-state lighting, such as white lightemitting
diodes (WLEDs), is considered to be the most
promising and suitable light source. Because of their small size,
high efficiency, and long lifetime, WLEDs based on colloidal
semiconductor nanocrystals (or quantum dots) are emerging as
a completely new technology platform for the development of
flat-panel displays and solid-state lighting, exhibiting the
potential to replace the conventionally used incandescent and
fluorescent lamps. This replacement can cut the ever-increasing
level of energy consumption, solve the problem of rapidly
depleting fossil fuel reserves, and improve the quality of the
global environment. In this review, the recent progress in
semiconductor-nanocrystals-based WLEDs is highlighted, the
different approaches for generating white light are compared,
and the benefits and challenges of the solid-state lighting
technology are discussed.
