Universal precursors dispersed in Vaseline-octadecene gel for nanocrystal synthesis

A great variety of high-quality inorganic nanocrystals are synthesized solely in hydrocarbon solvents in both academic and industrial settings on a daily basis, which is largely complicated by lack of simple precursors containing inorganic element(s) yet soluble in the reaction solvents at ambient temperatures. Here, we introduce a new strategy for preparing the precursors, namely inorganic (or element-containing organic) molecules dispersed in hydrocarbon (Vaseline-octadecene) gel. This strategy not only greatly expands spectra of potential precursors and their concentration range, but also simplifies synthetic system, enables automated large-scale synthesis, and minimizes environmental concerns.