Multicarrier recombination in colloidal quantum dots

The rates of multicarrier recombination are measured in colloidal quantum dots with and without hole surface trapping and with hole extraction in type II core/shell systems. We report that hole trapping or the physical separation of electronic and hole wavefunctions into different semiconductor domains of a type II system have an insignificant effect on the multicarrier recombination dynamics. These observations are inconsistent with the accepted Auger transition mechanism.