This work presents an alternative route for the preparation of heavy metal iodide nanoparticles, particularly lead iodide nanodisks (ca. 50-340 × 7 Å, diameter × thickness), using the macrocycle cucurbit[7]uril as a synthetic template and stabilizing agent. These nanoparticles exhibit an optical-gap blue shift consistent with their small size and 1D quantum confinement. Their thicknesses are compatible with an exfoliated single layer of lead iodide, indicating that cucurbit[7]uril, preventing the stacking and formation of tactoids, thus limiting nanoparticles growth in the z direction. The structure, morphology and properties of these disks were analyzed by X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy with analysis of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (SEM-EDS) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM).
lead iodide; cucurbit[7]uril; synthetic template; nanodisks; quantum confinement
