Shape-controlled synthesis of water-soluble AgInSe2 nanocrystals by a convenient solvothermal approach

In this work, water-soluble AgInSe2 nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal treatment of AgNO3, InCl3 center dot 4H(2)O and SeO2 in the mixed solvent of oleic acid and dimethylformamide with the assistance of hydrophilic surfactant polyvinylpyrrolidone. The as-obtained AgInSe2 nanocrystals exhibited unique metastable orthorhombic structure and their morphologies can be tuned from tadpole to elongated pear by simply adjusting the dosage of oleic acid. Our synthetic method may aid in the application of AgInSe2 nanocrystals and the synthesis of other water-soluble nanocrystals. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.