Tuning Electron-Phonon Interactions in Nanocrystals through Surface Termination

We perform ab initio molecular dynamics on experimentally relevant-sized lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystals (NCs) constructed with thiol or Cl, Br, and I anion surfaces to determine their vibrational and dynamic electronic structure. We show that electron-phonon interactions can explain the large thermal broadening and fast carrier cooling rates experimentally observed in Pb-chalcogenide NCs. Furthermore, our simulations reveal that electron-phonon interactions are suppressed in halide-terminated NCs due to reduction of both the thermal displacement of surface atoms and the spatial overlap of the charge carriers with these large atomic vibrations. This work shows how surface engineering, guided by simulations, can be used to systematically control carrier dynamics.