"One-pot" synthesis and shape control of ZnSe semiconductor nanocrystals in liquid paraffin

In this paper, we demonstrated a "one-pot" strategy for synthesizing ZnSe nanocrystals (NCs) in liquid paraffin. All materials, including Zn source, Se source, and ligand, were mixed in liquid paraffin beforehand, which avoided the injection of Se source at high temperature. The resultant ZnSe NCs possessed high photoluminescence quantum yields and narrow size distribution. Moreover, the size, shape, and crystal phase of NCs were controllable by altering the experimental variables, such as precursor concentration, Zn: Se molar ratio, and heating rate. Because the raw materials used here were low-cost and environmentally friendly, this "one-pot" synthetic protocol would facilitate the commercial scale synthesis of high-quality ZnSe NCs.