PbSe nanoparticles were used in solar cells, and the microwave method was applied to prepare monodispersed
nanocrystalline PbSe in the solvent of ethylene glycol. The nanocrystals were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD),
transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy-dispersed spectroscopy (EDS). It is found that ethylene glycol both as reducing agent and dispersant plays a key role in the formation of PbSe nanocrystals.