ABSTRACT
To date, quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized through a
number of different processes ranging from colloidal synthesis and
electrochemical methods to chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This
chapter focuses on the synthesis of high-quality CdSe nanocrystals
through a bench-top colloidal synthesis, paying particular attention
to the effects on the size and crystallinity of the QDs of varying
the reaction temperature and reagent concentrations. Powder
X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis and high-resolution transmission
electron microscopy (HRTEM) have been used to highlight a
transition of the crystallite phases obtained, from cubic zinc blende
to hexagonalwurtzite and back again to the cubic phase as a function
of reaction time. The nature of this phase shift is believed to be due
to the rapid growth along the {111} crystallite facets, with the facial facets then “catching up,” to restore the cubic symmetry.
