“Green” Synthesis of Cadmium Selenide Nanocrystals: The Scope of 1,2,3-Selendiazoles in the Synthesis of Magic-Size Nanocrystals and Quantum Dots

A range of cadmium selenide nano-particles (the quantum dots (QDs), the magic-size nano-crystals (MSNCs) or the mixture of two) have been synthesized by the use of organoselenium reagents viz. 1,2,3-selenadiazole and metal salts in an appropriate choice of long chain fatty acids e.g., oleic acid with or without a solvent. These different types of nanocrystals can be easily obtained simply by variation in reaction temperature. The employed approach does not use any hazardous reagents and is typically non-aqueous and can be considered “green.” The temperature at which the reaction is carried out along with the ratio of reactants and surfactant affect the nature of products and have led to understanding of some parameters affecting the formation of either “thermodynamic” or “kinetically” stabilized products. We have obtained sub-nanosized particles (magic-sized nanocrystals), zero-dimensional quantum dots and self-assembled structures by these methods. The materials have been studied by UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersion X-ray analysis (EDAX), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM).