Preparation and growth mechanism of CdS quantum dots in octadecene/glycerol two-phase systems

Two-phase synthesis is an advantageous alternative to the traditional synthetic method, due to its less toxicity, controllable, mild synthetic conditions and easy large-scale synthesis. However, meeting novel synthesis, the conventional trial-and-error approach could not provide a clear understanding. We herein report synthesis and mechanism investigation of CdS quantum dots in octadecene/glycerol two-phase system. The effects of different reaction parameters and conditions including reaction temperature, reaction time, reactant concentrations, and synthesis routes (one-step and two-step approach) on both nucleation and particle growth were investigated. It was found that the synthesis course was a growth dominated process depending on both CdS(monomer) and CdS(nuclei), and controlled by the interface of ODE/glycerol. The present work provided a new and clear understanding about two-phase system synthesis on semiconductor quantum dots, noble metal nanocrystals and some alloy nanomaterials .