title: Ultrabright PbSe magic-sized clusters.
abstract: We present the synthesis and characterization of novel, ultrasmall PbSe magic-sized nanoclusters (MSCs). Unlike the syntheses of high-quality semiconductor nanoparticles, the MSC synthesis is straightforward, occurring at room temperature in air over several hours. MSCs have core diameters <2 nm and fluoresce in the near-infrared (900 nm) with remarkable quantum efficiencies consistently greater than 50%. The relatively slow growth of MSCs allows for a significant scale up of reaction volumes. Transfer to aqueous solvents has also been demonstrated, establishing MSCs as a potential new fluorophore for applications in biological imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maccagnano-Zacher
authors.forename: Todd D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Krauss