title: Characterization of ZnE (E = S, Se, or Te) materials synthesized using silylated chalcogen reagents in mesoporous MCM-41.
abstract: The binary materials ZnS, ZnSe, and ZnTe have been successfully prepared within the mesoporous framework of MCM-41 at room temperature through the use of silylated chalcogen reagents. Postsynthesis grafting of ethylenediamine facilitates the complexation of anhydrous zinc acetate to the pore surface via a ligand exchange process between monodentate 3,5-lutidine ligands and the anchored chelating moiety. Coordinated zinc acetate readily reacts with E(SiMe(3))(2) (E = S, Se, or Te), thereby encapsulating zinc chalcogenides in the mesoporous channels. ZnE-MCM-41 materials have been characterized by EDX analysis, nitrogen sorption analysis, and Raman, UV-vis, and solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The observed blue shift in the absorption maximum is in agreement with the expected quantum confinement of these materials given the nanometer dimensions of the mesoporous architecture of the silicate host.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rösner
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fenske
authors.forename: Yining
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Corrigan