InP nanocrystals via aerosol route

Indium phosphide nanocrystals, with diameters of around 10 nm, have been produced via an aerosol route. The production method allows a narrow size distribution of the nanocrystals. The method is based on the formation of monodisperse indium droplets and the subsequent reaction with phosphine at elevated temperature. The kinetics of the reaction of In to produce InP depends on the temperature and the phosphine flow. The size of the final InP nanocrystal is self-limited by the size of the introduced size-selected In droplet. This size can be tuned carefully. Since the new material grows in a self-organized fashion within the aerosol phase we call this process aerotaxy. Our approach opens the possibility for efficient production of size-selected semiconductor nanocrystals and it will allow new types of self-assembly and control of quantum dots