Growth kinetics of CdSe nanoparticles in glass

The growth of CdS0.08Se0.92 nanoparticles in glass is studied through the analysis of optical absorption spectra with the help of a quantized-state effective-mass model in which the conduction band effective mass is particle size dependent. The glass includes nanoparticles with an initial average size of similar to1.4 nm on cooling down to room temperature from the melt at similar to1000degreesC. Particles grow by diffusion of the reactants onto the surface of initially formed nuclei upon heat treatment between 575 and 675 degreesC. Combined use of Arrhenius plots and the model yields an activation energy of similar to500 kJ mol(-1).