Quick, controlled synthesis of ultrathin Bi2Se3 nanodiscs and nanosheets.

Ultrathin (4-6 nm) single-crystal Bi(2)Se(3) nanodiscs and nanosheets were synthesized through a simple and quick solution process. The growth mechanism was investigated in detail. Crystal seeds grew via 2D self-attachment of small nanoparticles followed by epitaxial recrystallization into single crystals. The lateral dimension of the nanodiscs increased and their shape changed from circles to hexagons as the reaction temperature increased. Positively charged polymer surfactants greatly enlarged the lateral dimension to produce nanosheets with uniform thickness.