One pot synthesis, growth mechanism and optical properties of Zn1−xCdxSe graded core/shell and alloy nanocrystals

► Graded CdSe/ZnSe core-shell nanocrystals are synthesized exploiting reactivity of precursors. ► Growth mechanism is probed using ICP-AES spectroscopy. ► Reduced strain leads to luminescence efficiency as high as 60%. ► Alloy formation by annealing in chemical bath is probed using XPS.