Cadmium-free quantum dots “CFQD™”
In many regions of the world there is now, or soon to be, legislation to restrict and in some cases ban heavy metals in many household appliances such as IT & telecommunication equipment, Lighting equipment , Electrical & electronic tools, Toys, leisure & sports equipment. In Europe, under the RoHS Directive, the restricted metals include cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb). Maximum concentrations are 0.1% or 1000 ppm for lead or mercury and 0.01% or 100 ppm for cadmium - measured by weight in homogeneous materials such as liquids, plastics or coatings. There are similar regulations in place or soon to be implemented worldwide including China, Korea, Japan and the US.
Cadmium and other restricted heavy metals used in conventional quantum dots is of a major concern in commercial applications
For QDs to be commercially viable in many applications they MUST NOT CONTAIN cadmium or other restricted elements. Due to the versatility of quantum dots, many customers would like to exploit their unique properties in applications where it is not permissible to use conventional heavy metal containing NanoDots™. Nanoco has developed and is currently extending the range of restricted metal free quantum dots. These materials show bright emission in the visible and near infra-red region of the spectrum.
Nanoco’s molecular seeding method has been adapted for other compound semiconductor materials, which have similar optical properties to those of CdSe quantum dots (such as the family of III-V materials), but do not contain heavy metals.