Trions Stimulate Electronic Coupling in Colloidal Quantum Dot Molecules

Abstract: Recent synthetic progress has enabled the controlled fusion of colloidal CdSe/CdS quantum dots in order to form dimers manifesting electronic coupling in their optical response. While this ``artificial H2 molecule'' constitutes a milestone towards the development of nanocrystal chemistry, the strength of the coupling has proven to be smaller than intended. The reason is that, when an exciton is photo-induced in the system, the hole localizes inside the CdSe cores and captures the electron, thus preventing its delocalization all over the dimer. Here, we predict, by means of k$\cdot$p theory and configuration interaction calculations, that using trions instead of neutral excitons or biexcitons restores the electron delocalization. Positive trions are particularly apt because the strong hole-hole repulsion makes electron delocalization robust against moderate asymmetries in the cores, thus keeping a homodimer-like behavior. Trion-charged colloidal quantum dot molecules have the potential to display quantum entanglement features at room temperature with existing technology.