ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots as emitting material in blue QD-LEDs with narrow emission peak and wavelength tunability

•We suggest ZnSe/ZnS as emitter material for blue QD-LEDs.•High quality QDs with extremely narrow emission peaks were synthesized.•The emission wavelength can be tuned by stoichiometric control.•QD-LEDs showing the characteristic QD emission were assembled.•The device setup was adjusted to the new QD material by selecting a proper hole transporter.

Quantum dots are a highly attractive class of materials for the use in light-emitting devices, since they allow high color purity, facile tunability and solution-processing methods. Here, zinc selenide QDs are investigated for their suitability as emissive material in cadmium-free blue QD-LEDs. By adjusting the stoichiometry in the synthesis the emission wavelength can be tuned in the range of 390–435 nm. For the assembly of the QD-LED, the device setup was adjusted to the low-lying ZnSe valence band energy by choosing a suitable hole-transport material. A first promising QD-LED result is achieved showing the characteristic narrow QD emission peak with a luminance of 25 cd/m2.

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