Preparation and Characterization of Monodisperse PbSe Semiconductor Nanocrystals in a Noncoordinating Solvent

Spherical PbSe semiconductor nanocrystals with near-infrared absorption of 1100−2520 nm (corresponding to diameters of 3−13 nm) were synthesized in a noncoordinating solvent (1-octadecene). The as-prepared PbSe semiconductor nanocrystals have very narrow size distributions (σ ≅ 5−7%) without any postsynthetic size selection. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction show that the nanocrystalline particles are single domains of rock-salt PbSe. A water-soluble form of these materials was generated through simple surface treatments.