https://rdcu.be/eOMWK        After exploring Gd- and La-doped GQDs in our previous work, this study focuses on understanding the impact of Pd doping on device-level interface behavior. This shift allowed us to move from material-level exploration to interface-driven device design.

The core question guiding this research was whether a carbon-based nano-interface could act as an engineered transport layer rather than a passive contact. To investigate this, we developed a Pd-doped graphene quantum dot nanocomposite integrated as an active interlayer within a silicon heterostructure. This was not only a synthesis challenge, but an interface design strategy—iterating surface chemistry, energy alignment, and defect-assisted optical behavior to achieve functional charge transport.

What we found was promising: the nanocomposite did more than participate in the junction—it controlled the junction, directly shaping rectification and carrier dynamics. Observing how nanoscale interface engineering translated into macroscopic device behavior was a key moment for us, reinforcing our belief that the future of electronics increasingly lies in functional interlayers and engineered material interfaces.

We hope this work contributes to the expanding field of GQD-based heterostructures and encourages further exploration of interface-driven device architectures. These results confirm that Pd doping not only modulates optical and electronic properties, but also enables interface-driven charge transport critical for next-generation carbon-based heterostructure devices.