The Trouble with 1-Octadecene; Polymerization During Nanocrystal Synthesis

Abstract

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 replaced 1-octadecene with saturated, aliphatic solvents. Alternatively, the 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.

Content

Supplementary material

SI The trouble with 1-octadecene polymerization during nanocrystal synthesis