Surfactants enhanced short durations synthesis of bismuth oxyiodide quantum dots

Quantum dots (Qds) are the most incredible breakthroughs in nanotechnology, gaining the scientific community's attention because of their outstanding properties. Here, tween 20 (T20), tween 80 (T80), and Triton-X100 (TR) surfactants were investigated for developing a quick, one-pot room temperature method for synthesizing bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) Qds. Four BiOI samples were synthesized: BiOI-without surfactant, BiOI-T20, BiOI-T80, and BiOI-TR. The EDX and XRD indicated that the products were BiOIs; the SEM and TEM unraveled nanoparticles smaller than 28 nm with T20 and T80, while Qds of 8 nm were produced with TR. The Nitrogen-adsorption–desorption isotherm analysis showed a surface area of 22.2, 59.1, 68.5, and 81.9 m2/g for BiOI-W, BiOI-T20, T80, and TR, respectively. These findings were aligned with the SEM and TEM results and demonstrated a significant improvement in the surface characteristics in the surfactant-made BiOI compared to the BiOI-W. These results revealed the successfulness of using surfactants to ease the fabrication of BiOI Qds at room temperature.