Synthesis and Blue Photoluminescence from Naturally Dispersed Antimony Selenide (Sb2Se3) 0-D Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles of crystalline Antimony Selenide (Sb2Se3) with sizes between 2.0 +/- 0.1 nm and 6.0 +/- 0.1 nm have been synthesized by sonication of Sb2Se3 nanowires suspended in liquid media. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images show that these nanoparticles do not cluster and stay naturally dispersed in water and methanol dispersions. Diluted suspension of the nanoparticles (C = 2 x 10(-4) M) in both, water and methanol, are found to exhibit very intense blue photoluminescence under conventional Xenon lamp excitation. Spectroscopic experiments reveal that bulk Sb2Se3 photoemits at 422 nm (2.94 eV). The same type of emission is experienced by the nanoparticles, however, it is found hundred times more intense. This significant increase is attributed to the large area of emission existing in the dispersed nanoparticles.