The growth kinetics of colloidal InP nanocrystals

InP nanocrystals were synthesized using dehalosilylation reaction in trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO), and they were characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectrometer and fluorescent spectrometer. The growth process was studied by monitoring the photoluminescence (PL) and UV-vis absorption spectra during the whole synthetic procedure. The growth process involves: formation of precursors, decomposition of the precursors, nucleation, growth of the nuclei, Ostwald ripening, and annealing of the nanoparticles, and some of them overlap in time. Many defects are introduced in the growth process of the nuclei, but the annealing procedure will diminish the defects, which is critical for producing well crystalline InP nanocrystals.