Synthesis of high-quality semiconductor nanoparticles in a composite hot-matrix

Semiconductor nanocrystals are of a great interest for many practical applications which motivates the search of low cost and environmental-friendly methods for their manufacturing. Here we report the synthesis of CdSe and CdS nanoparticles utilizing composite matrix of liquid paraffin as a non-coordinating solvent and stearic acid as a coordinating ligand. The nanoparticle growth kinetics is compared to that of the classical synthesis in trioctylphosphine oxide matrix. It is found that the nucleation and crystal growth are remarkably affected by the coordinating ligand. The CdSe and CdS nanocrystals can be isolated and purified from the matrix which makes it possible their large-scale synthesis for applications.