Radiation-induced synthesis of metallic and semiconductor nano-materials has been an extensively used method for its simplicity and
effectiveness. In this process, the synthesis in the aqueous media
mainly proceeds through the reaction of the solvated electrons, eaq
−,
with the precursor ions. Semiconductor and metallic nanomaterials of
different shapes and sizes have been synthesized earlier via radiation-chemical routes in aqueous and non-aqueous media using different
templates [1–4]. The templates usually determine the shapes and
sizes of nanomaterials. Among other semiconductors, CdSe is an
important one because of its potential applications in photovoltaics,
LEDs and other optoelectronic devices. Several groups including us
have reported the radiation-induced synthesis of CdSe nanoparticles
in different condensed phases [1–6]. The yield of CdSe nanoparticles
depends on the absorbed dose and the concentration of the precursor
ions.
Among various templates , water-in-oil microemulsions are known
as soft templates [7]. Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) in
solution facilitates the formation of different micro-structures under
different conditions [8,9]. In this communication, we have used such
soft templates, water-in-oil microemulsions consisting of CTAB as the
surfactants, cyclohexane as the oil phase, n-butanol as the co-surfactants and the aqueous phase containing the precursor ions for
the synthesis of CdSe nanomaterials via electron beam irradiations.