Although
impurity doping of nanocrystals is essential in controlling
their physical properties for various applications, the doping mechanism
of ultrasmall, colloidal II–VI semiconductor nanocrystals,
corresponding to the initial stages of growth, is not yet understood.
In this study the concentrations of Mn2+ ions in the core,
on the surface, and as an agglomerated separate phase in 2.9 nm cubic
ZnS nanocrystals, prepared by a surfactant-assisted liquid–liquid
synthesis within 20 to 20 000 ppm nominal impurity concentration
range, have been determined by quantitative multifrequency electron
paramagnetic resonance. The unexpected strong decrease in the core
doping efficiency with the nominal concentration increase, in contrast
to the small variation of the doping efficiency for the surface-bound
Mn2+ ions, and the sizable core doping efficiency observed
for 1.8 nm nanocrystals were explained with the extended lattice defect
assisted mechanism of incorporation. According to this mechanism,
which is not size or shape limited, being active from the initial
growth stages, the incorporation of Mn2+ ions takes place
at surface sites with high binding energy on dislocation steps formed
by the emerging stacking defects. High resolution transmission electron
microscopy confirms the presence of such stacking defects in a large
proportion of the investigated cubic ZnS nanocrystals, ensuring the
operation of the proposed doping mechanism.