A Facile One-Pot Synthesis of MSe (M = Cd or Zn) Nanoparticles Using Biopolymer as Passivating Agent

Abstract

In recent years, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) sometimes also referred to as nanoparticles (NPs) or nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted much attention for many potential applications due to their unique physical and chemical properties such as size-dependent band gap, size dependent excitonic emission, enhanced nonlinear optical properties and size-dependent electronic properties attributed to quantum size-effect and enormously high specific surface area. Hence they are different from those of the corresponding bulk materials and contain a relatively large percentage of surface atoms which makes them extremely active (Alivastos, 1996; Bruchez et al., 1998). They have been extensively studied over the past decade and are useful in many wider areas of applications hence, they have become an important class of material for the photonic, electronic, biological and other technological industries in the 21st century (Bruchez et al., 1998; Chan & Nie, 1998; Coe et al., 2003; Murphy, 2002). The applicative utility of QDs as seen in various field are: medicine for diagnostics, drug delivery and tissue engineering, chemistry and environment -for catalysis and filtration, energy for reduction of energy consumption, increasing the efficiency of energy production, the use of more environmentally friendly energy systems, recycling of batteries, information and communication novel semiconductor devices, novel optoelectronic devices, displays, quantum computers, heavy industryaerospace, refineries, vehicle manufacturers to mention a few. Compared with conventional organic fluorophores, QDs exhibit bright fluorescence, narrow emission, broad UV excitation, high quantum yield and high photostability (Coastal –Fernandez et al., 2006; Ozkan, 2004; Derfus et al., 2004).