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Brookhaven National Laboratory researchers and graduate students study Quantum dots, tiny semiconductor crystals with diameters measured in billionths of a meter-have enormous potential for applications that make use of their ability to absorb or emit light and/or electric charges. Examples include more vividly colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photovoltaic solar cells, nanoscale transistors, and biosensors. But because these applications have differing-sometimes opposite-requirements, finding ways to control the dots' optical and electronic properties is crucial to their success. A new study conducted at Brookhaven's Center for Functional Nanomateials shows that shrinking the core of a quantum dot can enhance the ability of a surrounding polymer to extract electric charges generated in the dot by the absorption of light.