Preparation and characterization of monodisperse PbSe semiconductor nanocrystals in a noncoordinating solvent

Spherical PbSe semiconductor nanocrystals with near-infrared absorption of 1100-2520 nm (corresponding to diameters of 3-13 nm) were synthesized in a noncoordinating solvent (1-octadecene). The as-prepared PbSe semiconductor nanocrystals have very narrow size distributions (sigma congruent to 5-7%) without any postsynthetic size selection. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and X-ray diffraction show that the nanocrystalline particles are single domains of rock-salt PbSe. A water-soluble form of these materials was generated through simple surface treatments.