Tailored growth of single-crystalline InP tetrapods

Abstract

Despite the technological importance of colloidal covalent III-V nanocrystals with unique optoelectronic properties, their synthetic process still has challenges originating from the complex energy landscape of the reaction. Here, we present InP tetrapod nanocrystals as a crystalline late intermediate in the synthetic pathway that warrants controlled growth. We isolate tetrapod intermediate species with well-defined surfaces of (110) and ($$\bar{1}\bar{1}\bar{1}$$ 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 1 ¯ ) via the suppression of further growth. An additional precursor supply at low temperature induces $$[\bar{1}\bar{1}\bar{1}]$$ [ 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 1 ¯ ] -specific growth, whereas the [110]-directional growth occurs over the activation barrier of 65.7 kJ/mol at a higher temperature, thus finalizes into the (111)-faceted tetrahedron nanocrystals. We address the use of late intermediates with well-defined facets at the sub-10 nm scale for the tailored growth of covalent III-V nanocrystals and highlight the potential for the directed approach of nanocrystal synthesis.

Aminophosphine-based continuous liquid-phase synthesis of InP and InP/ZnS quantum dots in a customized tubular flow reactor

“…This observation agrees well with the previous reports. 35–37 The low image quality originates from organic ligands attached to the InP QD surface, which however, does not affect the conclusion drawn in this work. With regard to their optical properties, it can be seen that the absorption peak at 518 nm in the UV-vis absorption spectrum of the synthesized InP QDs was observed which is the characteristic first excitonic absorption peak of InP (Fig.…”

Synthesis, Surface Chemistry, and Fluorescent Properties of InP Quantum Dots

“…(b–d) HR-TEM images of InP nanostructures found during growth from tetrapod to tetrahedron and (e) schematic illustrations of the crystalline structures. (b–e) Reprinted with minimal modifications from ref . License CC BY 4.0 .…”

Rich Landscape of Colloidal Semiconductor–Metal Hybrid Nanostructures: Synthesis, Synergetic Characteristics, and Emerging Applications

“…III–V semiconductors as components in HNPs also hold promise due to their compliance with regulatory restrictions and their potential also as photocatalytic systems but have yet to be fully studied in these contexts. Recent progress in the synthesis of anisotropic shapes of InP nanocrystals and their surface control opens the way for development of new HNPs based on these materials. , Moreover, addressing the stability of HNPs in diverse demanding photocatalytic scenarios is also important. In this context, expanding the functionality while controlling the HNP surface coating while also utilizing inorganic ligands may be further addressed.…”