Reversible photolithography of quantum dots achieves high-performance electroluminescence

Abstract Direct photolithography offers a transformative photoresist-free route for high-precision integration in electronic and optoelectronic platforms. Despite significant advancements in quantum dots (QDs), existing methods often degrade optoelectronic performance due to the inherent surface ligand changes during photolithographic processing. Here, we introduce a reversible photolithography strategy to overcome this bottleneck. This strategy is based on the first wavelength-gated, reversible ligand crosslinking and decrosslinking cycle, enabling the dynamic and reversible control over the photolithographic process. Using this approach, we achieve high-efficient and high-fidelity QD photolithography with restored QD structure and functionality. The reversible process further enables high-performance electroluminescence, with one of the highest luminance values of 125,016 cd m −2 at 5.0 V and a peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 24.41%. Moreover, we demonstrate an ultrahigh-resolution nano-pixelated device with a peak EQE of 17.08% at 21,000 PPI. This work presents a photo-reversible crosslinking system that decouples photolithographic patterning from performance degradation, offering a versatile platform for high-end QD-based displays and other advanced optoelectronics.