Direct photolithography of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) via photoinitiated thiol-ene click chemistry has emerged as an attractive approach for the fabrication of high-resolution QD-based displays, benefiting from its site-controlled and byproduct-free reaction pathway. Nevertheless, this approach remains constrained by limited colloidal stability and suboptimal optoelectronic performance, stemming from spontaneous ligand exchange and unfavorable reaction kinetics. To address these challenges, we introduce a dual-ligand passivation strategy that replacing native QD ligands with rationally designed alkenyl ligands with strong binding affinity and high reactivity. This strategy confers a ~6-fold enhancement in the storage lifetime and a ~15-fold improvement in photolithographic efficiency. These advances enable the direct photopatterning of QDs with an ultrahigh resolution exceeding 18,000 PPI (pixel size: ~0.77 μm), at an ultralow-energy dose of ~1 mJ/cm². Furthermore, the fabricated light-emitting diode with the crosslinked DLP-QD and nano-patterned DLP-QD achieved peak external quantum efficiencies of 21.17% and 15.67%, respectively, ranking among the state-of-the-art devices in this field. This work demonstrates the promise of robust and efficient thiol-ene click chemistry enabled by dual-ligand passivation for direct QD photolithography, paving the way for high-performance QD-based displays and advanced optoelectronic devices toward industrial applications.

Quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) have emerged as a leading platform for next-generation display technologies, gaining substantial research attention in recent years. Among various patterning strategies, direct photolithography offers distinct advantages through its high resolution, throughput, and process simplicity. However, current direct photolithography approaches face critical limitations in resolution and device performance, primarily arising from surface defect generation and photodamage of quantum dots (QDs) caused by deep-ultraviolet exposure and photochemical byproducts. To overcome these challenges, we present a novel benzophenone-derived photosensitive crosslinker featuring a byproduct-free C–H insertion mechanism with native ligands of QDs. Through precise structure design, the photo-absorption of the crosslinker extends to 365 nm, allowing the long-awaited QD patterning under standard i-line photolithography conditions. The developed crosslinker achieves unprecedented patterning resolution (pixel size ≈ 500 nm) with preserved photoluminescent characteristics. Corresponding QLED devices demonstrate remarkable performance enhancements, including a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 16.48% and a T₉₅ operational lifetime of 2258.3 h (approximately 2.1 times longer than pristine devices). These advancements establish a promising pathway toward high-resolution and high-performance QLEDs, thereby accelerating the commercialization of high-end optoelectronic devices.