Room-temperature formation of CdS magic-size clusters in aqueous solutions assisted by primary amines

Wushuang Wan, Meng Zhang, Min Zhao, Nelson Rowell, Chunchun Zhang, Shanling Wang, Theo Kreouzis, Hongsong Fan, Wen Huang and Kui Yu ()
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Wushuang Wan: Sichuan University
Meng Zhang: Sichuan University
Min Zhao: Sichuan University
Nelson Rowell: National Research Council of Canada
Chunchun Zhang: Sichuan University
Shanling Wang: Sichuan University
Theo Kreouzis: Queen Mary University of London
Hongsong Fan: Sichuan University
Wen Huang: West China Hospital, Sichuan University
Kui Yu: Sichuan University

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Aqueous-phase approaches to semiconductor CdS magic-size clusters (MSCs) and the formation pathway have remained relatively unexplored. Here, we report the demonstration of an aqueous-phase, room-temperature approach to CdS MSCs, together with an exploration of their evolution pathway. The resulting CdS MSCs display a sharp optical absorption peak at about 360 nm and are labeled MSC-360. With CdCl2 and thiourea as the respective Cd and S sources, and 3-mercarpotopropionic acid as the ligand, CdS MSC-360 develops in a mixture of a primary amine and water. We argue that the primary amine facilitates room-temperature decomposition of thiourea when CdCl2 is present, and the formation pathway of MSCs is similar to that in organic-phase approaches. Our findings show there is a viable avenue to room-temperature aqueous-phase formation of CdS MSCs. Providing explanations of the procedure developed including the formation of large aggregates, the present study represents an important advance towards a mechanistic understanding of nanocrystal synthesis.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18014-6

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