A facile synthesis of malic acid capped ZnSe transparent nanopellets and its optical properties

• Malic acid capped ZnSe transparent nanopellets have been synthesized.
• Malic acid played a vital role in the formation of ZnSe transparent nanopellets.
• Quantum confinement and enhanced luminescence property have been demonstrated.

ZnSe transparent nanopellets have been synthesized by a simple wet chemical reaction method using malic acid as a surface capping agent. The structure, morphology and chemical compositions of the as synthesized samples were investigated by X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Ultraviolet visible absorption spectrum confirms that the absorption edge is located at 352 nm which is blueshifted when compared to the value of bulk ZnSe. The photoluminescence spectrum shows that the emission peak is located at 428 nm which corresponds to near band edge emission. The nanopellets have an average diameter of about 150 nm and the length about 400 nm. The possible growth mechanism is also addressed.