Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The photoluminescence of CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots, nanorods, and tetrapods is investigated as a function of applied hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic pressure. The optoelectronic properties of all three nanocrystal morphologies are affected by strain. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the unique morphology of a tetrapod is highly sensitive to non-isotropic stress environments. Seeded tetrapods can thereby serve as an optical strain gauge, capable of measuring forces on the order of nanonewtons. We anticipate that a nanocrystal strain gauge with optical readout will be useful for applications ranging from sensitive optomechanical devices to investigations of biomechanical processes.