Journal of the American Chemical Society, volume 144, issue 14, pages 6251-6260
Synthetic Mechanisms in the Formation of SnTe Nanocrystals
Sean W Oneill
1
,
Todd Krauss
1, 2, 3
Publication type: Journal Article
Publication date: 2022-03-29
scimago Q1
SJR: 5.489
CiteScore: 24.4
Impact factor: 14.4
ISSN: 00027863, 15205126
PubMed ID:
35348326
General Chemistry
Catalysis
Biochemistry
Colloid and Surface Chemistry
Abstract
Infrared active colloidal semiconducting nanocrystals (NCs) are important for applications including photodetectors and photovoltaics. While much research has been conducted on nanocrystalline materials such as the Pb and Hg chalcogenides, less toxic alternatives such as SnTe have been far less explored. Previous synthetic work on SnTe NCs have characterized photophysical properties of the nanoparticles. This study focuses on understanding the fundamental chemical mechanisms involved in SnTe NC formation, with the aim to improve synthetic outcomes. The solvent oleylamine, common to all SnTe syntheses, is found to form a highly reactive, heteroleptic Sn-oleylamine precursor that is the primary molecular Sn species initiating NC formation and growth. Further, the capping ligand oleic acid (OA) reacts with this amine to produce tin oxide (SnOx), facilitating the formation of an NC SnOx shell. Therefore, the use of OA during synthesis is counterproductive to the formation of stoichiometric SnTe nanoparticles. The knowledge of chemical reaction mechanisms creates a foundation for the production of high-quality, unoxidized, and stoichiometric SnTe NCs.
Found
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