Observation in the growth of selenium nanoparticles

A mild chemical reduction method was developed to synthesize selenium nanoparticles. The observation of the particle growth within a five-minute time frame at an elevated temperature is achieved, and it was evidenced by analyzing the particle sizes from electron micrographs. The samples at individual growth stages were taken after the reaction was quenched by cooling to stop further particle growth. The nucleation and growth processes dominate different reaction time regimes under the experimental condition. We demonstrate the size evolution of the selenium nanoparticles from 30 nm to about 200 nm.