For the purpose of modulating a semiconductor’s optoelectronic properties, doping transitional metals such as Fe2+ into a pure semiconductor, such as ZnSe, can provide a big advantage compared to the pure host ZnSe nanocrystals (NCs), as in the study of M2+-doped ZnSe NCs. A microemulsion assisted hydrothermal approach has been developed for synthesizing Fe2+-doped ZnSe NCs in this study. The NCs were synthesized in a chemical reaction using a surfactant Triton X-100 followed by a hydrothermal treatment at 120 oC. The NCs were in a well-defined crystallinity and Fe dopant atoms were effectively introduced into the ZnSe matrix as shown in the compositional maps. Based upon the spectra from FTIR, the resulting NCs were surrounded and attached by the surfactant Triton X-100, which acts as a protecting reagent. Revealed by HRTEM images and calculated using a TIA software tool, the lattice d-spacing of the ZnSe was determined to be 0.32 nm, which truly agrees with the cubic crystal ZnSe standard XRD PDF 80-0021 (0.324 nm) for plane (111). The presence of Fe, Zn, and Se in electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) spectra indicates that the ZnSe:Fe NCs were successfully synthesized. The sizes of ZnSe:Fe NCs can be controlled and tuned by variations in the temperature during the growth and selection of the protecting groups. Preliminary photoluminescence (PL) data show that Fe2+ doped ZnSe NCs luminesce near 3000 nm in the mid IR region. Additional information including STEM and SEM supports the successful synthesis of Fe2+ doped ZnSe NCs in this study.

Synthesis and characterization of Fe2+ doped ZnSe nanocrystals by reverse micelle microemulsion assisted hydrothermal approach

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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