The temporal evolution of the structure and luminescence properties of CdSe semiconductor quantum dots grown at low temperatures

Mono-dispersed CdSe quantum dots have been prepared by water based route using 2-mercaptoethanol at low temperatures. The structures of the CdSe nanocrystals were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The XRD pattern showed that the prepared CdSe has a cubic phase with zinc blende structure. The temporal evolution of the absorption and photoluminescence spectra was used to follow the reaction process and to characterize the optical properties of the prepared CdSe quantum dots. The results exhibited clear exciton peaks in the absorption spectra. The influence of the temperature and/or time of reaction on the properties of the CdSe nanocrystals were investigated. It is found that the size of CdSe nanoparticles increases, as the reaction temperature and/or time are increased. The results showed that the Stokes shift between photoluminescence emission peak and absorption peaks is increased with the increase of the reaction temperature.