Fast doping of Cu into ZnSe NCs by hydrazine promoted cation exchange in aqueous solution at room temperature

Controllable doping is an effective way of tuning the properties of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs). In this work, a simple strategy of fast doping Cu ions into ZnSe NCs under ambient conditions was proposed. The principle of doping is based on hydrazine (N2H4) promoted cation exchange reaction. By direct addition of Cu ion stock solution into the preformed ZnSe NCs, Cu doped ZnSe NCs can be obtained. Furthermore, the emission of doped NCs can be tuned by changing the amount of impurity ion addition. The cation exchange reaction is facilitated by three factors: 1) N2H4 addition, 2) fast impurity ions, and 3) partial stabilizer removal. The proposed cation exchange reaction in aqueous solution could be an alternate route for NC doping as well as synthesis of ionic NCs.