Synthesis of germanium nanocrystals from solid-state disproportionation of a chloride-derived germania glass

Germanium nanocrystals (Ge NCs) have potential to be used in several optoelectronic applications such as photodetectors and light-emitting diodes. Here, we report a solid-state route to synthesizing Ge NCs through thermal disproportionation of a germania (GeOX) glass, which was synthesized by hydrolyzing a GeCl2 center dot dioxane complex. The GeOX glass synthesized in this manner was found to have residual Cl content. The process of nanocrystal nucleation and growth was monitored using powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Compared to existing solid-state routes for synthesizing colloidal Ge NCs, this approach requires fewer steps and is amenable to scaling to large-scale reactions.