Room-Temperature Evolution of Ternary CdTeS Magic-Size Clusters Exhibiting Sharp Absorption Peaking at 381 nm

Colloidal semiconductor ternary CdTeS magic-size clusters (MSCs) have not been reported. Here, we present the first synthesis of CdTeS MSCs at room temperature and our understanding of the evolution pathway. The MSCs exhibit sharp optical absorption peaking at 381 nm and are labeled MSC-381. CdTeS MSC-381 evolves when pre-nucleation-stage samples of binary CdTe and CdS that do not contain quantum dots (QDs) are separately prepared and then mixed and incubated at room temperature. We propose that CdTeS MSC-381 evolves from its precursor compound (PC) via quasi-isomerization. Synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering suggests that PCs/MSCs of CdTe and CdTeS are similar in sizes. We propose further that the CdTeS PC forms from the substitution reaction between the CdTe PC and the CdS monomer/fragment (Mo/Fr). The present study paves the way to the room-temperature evolution of ternary MSCs and provides an in-depth understanding of the PC to MSC transformation.