Selenium Nanoparticles: A Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Study

Abstract

The growth process of selenium nanoparticles prepared in a microemulsion by a reverse micelle method is probed by several techniques. The smallest particles synthesized are of the order of 40 Å in diameter, producing the usual blue shift in the optical spectra. An amorphous to crystalline phase transition was detected by both electron and X-ray diffraction. The micelle structure investigated by small-angle neutron scattering was found to be unaffected by the conditions of the reaction.