Robust and ultralow-energy direct photolithography of quantum dots via dual-ligand passivated thiol-ene click chemistry

Direct photolithography of QDs via photoinitiated thiol-ene click chemistry has emerged as an attractive approach for the fabrication of high-resolution QD-based displays, benefiting from its site-controlled and byproduct-free reaction pathway. Nevertheless, this approach remains constrained by limited colloidal stability and suboptimal optoelectronic performance, stemming from spontaneous ligand exchange and unfavorable reaction kinetics.

Chang Gu and Ting Zhang et al. proposed a dual-ligand passivation strategy to achieve robust and ultralow-energy thiol-ene click chemistry for direct QD photolithography through replacing the native ligands of QDs with rationally designed alkenyl ligands as functional ligands and alkyl thiols as dispersing ligands. Key advancements include:

1. Extended Storage Lifetime: This strategy confers a ~6-fold enhancement in the storage lifetime from 20 days to 120 days;
2. Higher Photolithographic Efficiency: The high reactivity of the designed alkenyl ligands enabled well-defined patterns at a substantially reduced energy dose (by one order of magnitude) without any damage in optoelectronic performance;

Record Resolution and QLED performance: QLED devices based on photo-crosslinked QDs and nano-patterned QDs exhibited notably high electroluminescent performance (e.g., peak EQEs of 21.17% and 15.67%, respectively), representing state-of-the-art values in the field.

Hao Tan, the first author, emphasized the industrial impact: “this strategy will release the considerable potential of direct photolithography of QDs via thiol-ene click chemistry for advancing high-resolution display technologies and facilitating large-scale industrial adoption, thereby accelerating the development of next-generation high-quality QD-based optoelectronic devices.”

Other contributors include Zhixin Zhai, Chengjun Li, Kai Chen and Wenxuan Wang from Laboratory of Optoelectronic Information Technology and Devices, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, China.

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 62404227), the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (No. LMS26E020007), Ningbo young doctor innovative research project (No. 2025J030), the Key projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 62234004), “Pioneer” and “Leading Goose” R&D Program of Zhejiang (Nos. 2024C01191), the Hangzhou Joint Fund of Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant (No.HZSZ26E020005), Ningbo 3315 Programme (No. 2020A-01-B), YONGJIANG Talent Introduction Programme (Nos. 2021A-038-B), and Ningbo Science and Technology Yongjiang 2035 Key Technology Breakthrough Plan Project (Nos. 2025Z079, 2024Z146). The authors thank Ben He for his suggestions on molecular synthesis and the preliminary design of this work.

DOI Link:

https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2026.94908915

About Nano Research

Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 8,000 articles. In 2025 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2025 IF is 9.4 (8.3, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.