Colloidal synthesis of ZnSe nanoparticles at room temperature

•ZnSe nanoparticles were obtained by colloidal synthesis at room temperature.•XRD measurements showed that the nanoparticles exhibit a cubic phase structure.•The size of the nanocrystals was founded between 3 nm and 4.7 nm.•HRTEM analysis showed that ZnSe nanoparticles exhibit semi-spherical shapes.

Structural, morphological and compositional characterizations of zinc selenide nanoparticles (NPs-ZnSe) are discussed in this work. NPs-ZnSe were obtained by colloidal synthesis in aqueous solution at room temperature, atmospheric pressure and without inert atmosphere. The synthesis was carried out using zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and elemental selenium as precursors. A mix of Na5P3O10 and NaOH called Extran was used as surfactant. Molar concentration and pH of the aqueous solution were varied to study their effect on the crystalline properties of the nanoparticles. The XRD measurements show that the NPs-ZnSe exhibits a cubic phase structure. The size of the nanocrystals was between 3 nm and 4.7 nm. HRTEM analysis showed that NPs-ZnSe exhibit semi-spherical shape. The presence of zinc and selenium in the NPs-ZnSe was confirmed through EDS measurements.