Synthesis and Size Control of Luminescent ZnSe Nanocrystals by a Microemulsion−Gas Contacting Technique

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Abstract
A scalable method for controlled synthesis of luminescent compound semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots) using microemulsion−gas contacting at room temperature is reported. The technique exploits the dispersed phase of a microemulsion to form numerous identical nanoreactors. ZnSe quantum dots were synthesized by reacting hydrogen selenide gas with diethylzinc dissolved in the heptane nanodroplets of a microemulsion formed by self-assembly of a poly(ethylene oxide)−poly(propylene oxide)−poly(ethylene oxide) amphiphilic block copolymer in formamide. A single nanocrystal is grown in each nanodroplet, thus allowing good control of particle size by manipulation of the initial diethylzinc concentration in the heptane. The ZnSe nanocrystals exhibit size-dependent luminescence and excellent photostability.