Synthesis and Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Structure of an Indium Arsenide Nanocluster

Soren F Sandeno; Sebastian M Krajewski; Ryan A Beck; Werner Kaminsky; Xiaosong Li; Brandi M Cossairt

doi:10.1021/acscentsci.3c01451

Synthesis and Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Structure of an Indium Arsenide Nanocluster

ACS Cent Sci. 2024 Feb 28;10(3):744-751. doi: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c01451. eCollection 2024 Mar 27.

Authors

Soren F Sandeno¹, Sebastian M Krajewski¹, Ryan A Beck¹, Werner Kaminsky¹, Xiaosong Li¹, Brandi M Cossairt¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, Washington 98195-1700, United States.

Abstract

The discovery of magic-sized clusters as intermediates in the synthesis of colloidal quantum dots has allowed for insight into formation pathways and provided atomically precise molecular platforms for studying the structure and surface chemistry of those materials. The synthesis of monodisperse InAs quantum dots has been developed through the use of indium carboxylate and As(SiMe₃)₃ as precursors and documented to proceed through the formation of magic-sized intermediates. Herein, we report the synthesis, isolation, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction structure of an InAs nanocluster that is ubiquitous across reports of InAs quantum dot synthesis. The structure, In₂₆As₁₈(O₂CR)₂₄(PR'₃)₃, differs substantially from previously reported semiconductor nanocluster structures even within the III-V family. However, it can be structurally linked to III-V and II-VI cluster structures through the anion sublattice. Further analysis using variable temperature absorbance spectroscopy and support from computation deepen our understanding of the reported structure and InAs nanomaterials as a whole.