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Updated: May 17, 2026

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging
Published on: October 9, 2012
Growth kinetics of CdSe quantum dots generated in polar polymers
Isabella Concina1, Marta Maria Natile, Eugenio Tondello
1CNR-IDASC SENSOR Laboratory, via Branze, 45-25131 Brescia, Italy. isabella.concina@ing.unibs.it
Abstract:
Growth kinetics of CdSe nanocrystals generated inside three selected polymers (polyvinylpyrrolidone--PVP, polyethyleneglycol--PEG and polyvinylalcohol--PVA) are demonstrated to follow a self-catalytic path, with growth rates depending on the nature of the polymer, i.e. on the capability to activate the cadmium species present in the solution of a metal precursor. A two-step process drives the size evolution of nanocrystals and a critical diameter value can be identified at which the growth regime changes. The medium-term stability evaluation of nanocomposites indicates that, after an initial rearrangement, polymers keep stable the embedded CdSe nanocrystals.
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