Synthesis of ultrathin wurtzite ZnSe nanosheets

•1.4-nm-thick ZnSe nanosheets with wurtzite structure are chemically synthesized.•The crystallographic direction along the thickness is determined to be [11–20].•Absorption peaks are significantly blue-shifted compared to those of bulk materials.•Interaction between the nanosheets can be modified by using different surfactants.

We demonstrate a facile chemical synthesis of 1.4-nm-thick zinc selenide (ZnSe) nanosheets with wurtzite structure. Owing to the quantum confinement arising from the ultra-thinness, absorption peaks are significantly blue-shifted compared to those of bulk materials. The narrow width of the peaks (<10 nm) indicates that thickness of the nanosheets is highly uniform. Successful synthesis of ZnSe nanosheets implies that the same chemical route may be further extended to synthesize various other non-layered materials in the form of two-dimensional nanosheet.

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