Selenium nanoparticles: A small-angle neutron scattering study

The growth process of selenium nanoparticles prepared in a microemulsion by a reverse micelle method is probed by several techniques. The smallest par ticles synthesized are of the order of 40 Angstrom, in diameter, producing the usual blue shift in the optical spectra. An amorphous to crystalline ph ase transition was detected by both electron and X-ray diffraction, The mic elle structure investigated by small-angle neutron scattering was found to be unaffected by the conditions of the reaction.