Colloidally prepared HgTe nanocrystals with strong room-temperature infrared luminescence

Abstract

Thioglycerol-capped HgTe quantum dots were synthesized on a gram scale using colloidal particle growth technique. X ray diffraction analysis, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and fast Fourier transformation were employed to characterize the HgTe nanocrystals. The crystal structure derived from the positions of the wide-angle diffraction peaks indicated a cubic HgTe phase. HRTEM revealed a broad size-distribution of HgTe nanoparticles, with sizes ranging from 3 to 6 nm. The existence of the lattice planes on the HRTEm images of the particles indicated high sample crystallinity.