CdSe ring- and tribulus-shaped nanocrystals: Controlled synthesis, growth mechanism, and photoluminescence properties

Abstract

With air-stable and generic reagents, CdSe nanocrystals with tunable morphologies were prepared by controlling the temperature in the solution reaction route. Thereinto, the lower reaction temperature facilitates the anisotropic growth of crystals to obtain high-yield CdSe ring- and tribulus-shaped nanocrystals with many branches on their surfaces. The photoluminescence properties are sensitive to the nature of particle and its surface. The products synthesized at room temperature, whose surfaces have many branches, show higher blue shift and narrower emission linewidths (FWHM) of photoluminescence than that of samples prepared at higher temperature, whose surfaces have no branches. Microstructural studies revealed that the products formed through self-assembly of primary crystallites. Nanorings formed through the nonlinear attachment of primary crystallites, and the branches on the surfaces grew by linear attachment at room temperature. And the structure of tribulus-shaped nanoparticle was realized via two steps of aggregation, i.e., random and linear oriented aggregation. Along with the elevation of temperature, the branches on nanocrystal surfaces shortened gradually because of the weakened linear attachment.