Effect of Cadmium Source on the Structure and Optical Properties of CdTe Quantum Dots

Herein, we report the growth of CdTe quantum dots capped with 3-mercaptopropionic acid prepared by different cadmium sources. Different cadmium sources and potassium tellurite were used to prepare the cadmium telluride in aqueous media and in presence of 3-mercaptopropoionic acid, at low temperature. The effect of cadmium source on the microstructure, crystallization phase, melting point, optical properties are investigated. The obtained results showed that there is a significant effect of varying the cadmium source on the atomic percentage ratio of Te/Cd, size, and crystalline phase of prepared CdTe quantum dots. Moreover, using different cadmium sources lead to an important effect on the optical properties of the quantum dots including, absorption coefficient, band gap, emission intensity, full width at half maximum, and stokes shift.