Formation of High-Quality CdS and Other II-VI Semiconductor Nanocrystals in Noncoordinating Solvents: Tunable Reactivity of Monomers

Controllable reactivity of Cd precursors in the growth of CdS nanocrystals was achieved by varying the concentration of stabilizing ligand with a noncoordinating solvent. Such tunable reactivity is critical for developing the synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystals to the level of that of CdSe nanocrystals. The high quality of the CdS nanocrystals is indicated by the sharpness of the UV/Vis and photoluminescence spectra (see diagram, A=absorbance, IPL=photoluminescence intensity).