N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have emerged as a powerful and versatile ligand set in organometallic chemistry; however, they remain relatively unexplored in the context of being used as L-type ligands for colloidal inorganic nanocrystals. Early reports have shown that NHC ligands can be utilized as ligands for various metal nanocrystals (i.e., Au, Pt, Ru, Pd), leading to excellent colloidal and chemical stability in both organic and aqueous suspensions. Here, we will discuss the first synthesis of NHC-stabilized colloidal Ag nanocrystals of various sizes under different reaction conditions, followed by a thorough characterization of their resulting surface chemistry. The as-prepared NHC-stabilized Ag nanocrystals can then be then used as precursors for colloidal Ag2S and Ag2Se semiconductor nanocrystals, which possess improved chemical stability as a result of the accompanying NHC surface ligands.

N-heterocyclic carbene precursors for Ag, Ag2S and Ag2Se nanocrystals syntheses

251st National Meeting (2016)

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