Magic-Sized Cd₃P₂ II−V Nanoparticles Exhibiting Bandgap Photoemission

The very first single-sized Cd3P2 II−V nanoparticles were synthesized via a non-injection-based approach which was designed to be thermodynamically driven. The Cd3P2 nanoparticles were synthesized in a pure form and exhibited bright bandgap photoemission peaking at 455 nm with a full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of only 17 nm and narrow bandgap absorption peaking at 451 nm. Compared to those reported before with a fwhm of 50−150 nm, the newly developed Cd3P2 nanoparticles represent significant progress in synthesis with better design and control. Cadmium acetate dihydrate (Cd(OAc)2·2H2O) and tris(trimethylsilyl)phosphine ((TMS)3P) were used as Cd and P source compounds, respectively; the synthesis was carried out in 1-octadecene (ODE), a noncoordinating solvent. The novel Cd3P2 nanoparticles were further characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and 113Cd and 31P solid-state NMR. These single-sized Cd3P2 nanoparticles are the first example of class II−V magic-sized nanoparticles (MSNs).