Strain in free standing CdSe/CdS core-shell nanorods.

The main characteristic strain trends in free-standing II-VI wurtzite semiconductor nanorods coated with a few-monolayers shell are reported. Calculations for different aspect ratios and shell thicknesses show that these are key factors for the strength of strain components that can even change their sign. Strain in core-shell nanorods with few monolayers coating is strong and qualitatively different from that of buried dots. Hexagonal symmetry compared to cubic and isotropic approximations reveals that, with the appropriate parameters, isotropic strain mimics very well the strain distributions of wurtzite core-shell nanorods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]