Self-surface passivation of CdX (X = Se, Te) quantum dots

A small portion of a reaction mixture including unpurified CdX (X = Se or Te) quantum dots (QDs), in which unreacted Cd and Se ions were left together with coordinating solvents, was dropped into an organic solvent. The CdX QDs in this organic solution showed enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) efficiency, growth of particles, and focusing of size distribution for more than 10 h at room temperature (RT, -23 degrees C). These effects were attributed to passivation of QDs' surface by Cd and X ions present in the solution. No external energy source was used for these achievements; therefore, the process is termed as self-surface passivation. The self-surface passivation was reproduced using purified CdX QDs with additional Cd and X ions in an organic solvent. The self-surface passivation method was applied to RT-synthesized CdSe QDs, which is characterized by a broad PL spectrum (fwhm - 150 nm) for monodispersed QDs, to modify their emission characteristics. On self-surface passivation, the broad PL spectrum was narrowed (fwhm - 35 nm) and the QDs were grown. The X-ray diffraction measurements of RT-synthesized CdSe QDs and that subsequently aged in 1-butanol showed that crystallinity of the samples was improved on aging.