Perfect orientation ordered in-situ one-dimensional self-assembly of Mn-doped PbSe nanocrystals.

We demonstrate a novel approach for the large-scale, shape-controlled synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) corrugated nanoarrays of Pb(1-x)Mn(x)Se nanocrystals (0.002 < or = x < or = 0.008) through an in-situ self-assembly without using either capping polymer or ionic surfactant. The one-step-prepared 1D nanoarrays exhibit a well-defined morphology, single-crystal orientation, and clean surface without amorphous contamination. The average diameter of the 1D nanoarrays can be controlled and varied from <10 to 80 nm by finely tuning the assembly temperature and the growth time. Four growth models were suggested to explain the in-situ self-assembly processes based on the fundamental building blocks of octahedral nanocrystals by sharing [111] facets.