Rapid preparation of highly luminescent CdTe nanocrystals in an ionic liquid via a microwave-assisted process

Thiol-capped CdTe nanocrystals are synthesized directly in an ionic liquid by means of microwave irradiation in a similar manner to an aqueous synthetic route. The combination of ionothermal synthesis with microwave heating offers a quick route to highly luminescent CdTe nanocrystals with zincblende crystal structure. The growth of nanocrystals is considered based on a universal growth model under the assumption that the growth rate exponentially converges as the reaction proceeds. The analysis indicates that the ionothermal conditions with high temperature promote the steady growth of nanocrystals after the nucleation, while the microwave irradiation plays a pivotal role in the limiting step of the growth of nanocrystals including the activation of nanocrystal precursor and the subsequent formation of nuclei.