title: Mechanistic study of the role of primary amines in precursor conversions to semiconductor nanocrystals at low temperature.
abstract: Primary alkyl amines (RNH2) have been empirically used to engineer various colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs). Here, we present a general mechanism in which the amine acts as a hydrogen/proton donor in the precursor conversion to nanocrystals at low temperature, which was assisted by the presence of a secondary phosphine. Our findings introduce the strategy of using a secondary phosphine together with a primary amine as new routes to prepare high-quality NCs at low reaction temperatures but with high particle yields and reproducibility and thus, potentially, low production costs.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065 (P. R. China); National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0R6 (Canada). kui.yu@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
authors.forename: Kui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Xiangyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Queena Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Huaqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mingli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xinqin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Dennis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Whitfield
authors.forename: Changwei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tao
keywords: amines; colloidal quantum dots; nanocrystal precursor conversions; phosphines; semiconductor particles