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Updated: Mar 7, 2026

Synthesis of Ligand-free CdS Nanoparticles within a Sulfur Copolymer Matrix
Published on: May 1, 2016
Surface chemistry of cadmium sulfide magic-sized clusters: a window into ligand-nanoparticle interactions
Douglas R Nevers1, Curtis B Williamson1, Tobias Hanrath1
1Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA. th358@cornell.edu.
Abstract:
Optoelectronic properties of nanoparticles are intimately coupled to the complex physiochemical interplay between the inorganic core and the organic ligand shell. Magic-sized clusters, which are predominately surface atoms, provide a promising avenue to clarify these critical surface interactions. Whereas these interactions impact the surface of both nanoparticles and magic-sized clusters, we show here that only clusters manifest a shift in the excitonic peak by up to 0.4 eV upon solvent or ligand treatment. These results highlight the utility of the clusters as a probe of ligand-surface interactions.
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