Convenient molecular approach of size and shape controlled ZnSe and ZnTe nanocrystals

Our study describes a convenient one-step synthesis of ZnSe and ZnTe nanocrystals (NC) whose sizes and shapes are precisely tuned by varing the growth temperature or stabilizing surfactants. We utilized molecular precursors, bis(phenylselenolate or phenyltellurolato)zinc-N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA), which effectively produce 0-dimensional sphere or 1-dimensional nanorods of ZnSe or ZnTe, respectively. Nanocrystals are highly monodispersed and luminescent; the emission wavelength varies over a wide range depending on the particle size. This study constitutes a nice demonstration of direct size and shape controlled synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals and this method can be extended to the synthesis of nanocrystals of other materials.