Resonance Raman spectroscopic study of shape-induced phase transition in CdSe nanoclusters

We report an observation of shape‐induced phase transition from wurtzite to zinc blende phase of encapsulated CdSe nanoclusters in mesoporous silica. Presence of both the phases is also observed in the as‐grown sample before encapsulation. Role of interfacial energy in the energetic mesopores, as the possible origin of phase transition, is thus ruled out, as the samples are encapsulated subsequent to their synthesis in the soft chemistry route. Electron–phonon coupling in the resonant Raman spectroscopic studies, using different energies for clusters of different phase and shape, thereby confirms the presence of both the wurtzite and the zinc blende phases. Transmission electron microscopic studies are used for the direct evidence of the shape‐induced solid–solid phase transition between two crystalline phases, for the first time. Small fluctuation of energies, in the form of shape, during its growth may be the driving force for the observed phenomenon, as the surface energy of both the phases stabilizes to the same value. Thus, finally, specific shapes can be used as one of the ways to differentiate the resulting phases. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. The shape‐induced phase transition in CdSe nanoclusters is reported. Electron–phonon coupling in the resonant Raman spectroscopic studies, using different energies for clusters of different phase and shape, thereby confirms the presence of both the wurtzite and the zinc blende phases. Transmission electron microscopic studies are used for the direct evidence of a shape‐induced solid–solid phase transition between the wurtzite and the zinc blende crystalline phases, for the first time.