Functionalizable magnetic/luminous silicon/bismuth core/shell nanocrystalline particles

Bismuth-covered silicon nanocrystalline quantum dots, depending on size and coverage, are predicted to exhibit characteristics of magnetic nanoparticles and luminescent semiconductor dots, accompanied by manifestations of metal–insulator transition. These properties, emerging from accurate time-dependent and standard density functional theory calculations can be critical for the development of nanoscale optoelectronic and opto-magnetic switches, and in quantum computing.