Shape control of cadmium hydroxides (Cd(OH)2) sensitive to pH quenching depth and massive production of CdSe nanocrystals by their chemical transformation.

This study demonstrates that the structure of cadmium hydroxides (Cd(OH)(2)) precipitated from a basic cadmium nitrate solution can be finely controlled by adjusting the pH of the precursor solution. The synthesis process involves only pouring the saturated solution into pure water to quench the pH and the total process is finished within 30 s. At a shallow pH quenching, the unstable nanoparticles turned into microparticles via a ripening process. Cd(OH)(2) was precipitated in the form of one-dimensional nanowires and then two-dimensional plates as the pH quenching was increased. At a large pH quenching, porous aggregates of Cd(OH)(2) were obtained due to the too fast precipitation. The ultrafine Cd(OH)(2) nanowires were readily transformed into CdSe chain-like nanocrystals. The transformation was quick and gave 100% yield, facilitating massive production of CdSe nanocrystals in an aqueous condition. The Cd(OH)(2) nanowires were directly grown on Si nanowires and transformed into CdSe chain-like nanocrystals, decorating the surface of each Si nanowire.