PbTe colloidal nanocrystals: Synthesis, mechanism and infrared optical characteristics

We report a rapid injection solution-phase synthesis route for the preparation of rock salt structure monodispered PbTe nanocrystals (NCs) in a non-coordinating solvent. In order to obtain uniform and monodispersed PbTe NCs, we rapidly inject an amount of 1-octadecene (ODE) to decrease the reactant temperature abruptly and separate the NC nucleation and growth efficiently. PbTe NCs are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and optical characteristics. PbTe NCs show large absorption tunability (>400 nm) by employing time-based strategies because of the strong quantum confinement. PbTe NCs also exhibit strong PL emission. The uniformity and characteristics of these PbTe NCs make them the material for IR devices. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.