The Trouble with ODE: Polymerization during Nanocrystal Synthesis

1-Octadecene is a widely used solvent for high-temperature nanocrystal synthesis (120–320 °C). Here, we show that 1-octadecene spontaneously polymerizes under these conditions, and the resulting poly­(1-octadecene) has a comparable solubility and size to nanocrystals stabilized by hydrophobic ligand...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2019-10, Vol.19 (10), p.7411-7417
Main Authors: Dhaene, Evert, Billet, Jonas, Bennett, Ellie, Van Driessche, Isabel, De Roo, Jonathan
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:1-Octadecene is a widely used solvent for high-temperature nanocrystal synthesis (120–320 °C). Here, we show that 1-octadecene spontaneously polymerizes under these conditions, and the resulting poly­(1-octadecene) has a comparable solubility and size to nanocrystals stabilized by hydrophobic ligands. Typical purification procedures (precipitation/redispersion cycles or size exclusion chromatography) fail to separate the poly­(1-octadecene) impurity from the nanocrystal product. To avoid formation of poly­(1-octadecene), we replace 1-octadecene with saturated, aliphatic solvents. Alternatively, the nanocrystals’ native ligands are exchanged for polar ligands, leading to significant solubility differences between nanocrystals and poly­(1-octadecene), therefore allowing isolation of pure nanocrystals, free from polymer impurities. These results will help design superior syntheses and improve nanocrystal purity, an important factor in many applications.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b03088