Polyol‐Mediated Synthesis of Highly Water‐Soluble ZnO Colloidal Nanocrystal Clusters

Abstract

Abstract We report on the synthesis of ZnO colloidal nanocrystal clusters with well‐tunable particle size and high water solubility by using a high‐temperature solution‐phase hydrolysis approach. The metal salt hydrolyzed after rapidly injecting a solution of sodium hydroxide in diethylene glycol. Poly(acrylic acid) served as the capping agent to achieve the superior water solubility without any further surface modification. Strong UV emission in the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum due to the existence of the secondary structures despite a particle size reaching ca. 200 nm, and near absence of oxygen vacancy in the sample as indicated by weak emission in the green region. This important feature makes our highly water‐soluble ZnO colloidal nanocrystal clusters a promising candidate for potential applications in optoelectronic and lasing devices.