Synthesis and size control of luminescent ZnSe nanocrystals by a microemulsion-gas contacting technique

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.