The structure and optical properties of Cd1-xHoxS QDs prepared via ethylene glycol assisted solvothermal route for optoelectronic application

A series of Cd1-xHoxS semiconductor quantum dots were prepared via ethylene glycol assisted solvothermal approach, for the first time. The structure, elemental composition, and morphology of the Cd1-xHoxS QDs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), selected area of electron diffraction (SAED), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. The optical properties were studied using UV-Vis. Spectrophotometry and luminescence spectroscopy measurements. The substitution of the Cd-atoms by the Ho-atoms increases the crystallite size of the CdS QDs and decreases their optical bandgap. The inclusion of the Ho-atoms in the Cd-sites of the cubic CdS nanocrystals improves the luminescence intensity by 14 times. The Stokes shift revealed that the Ho-atoms decrease the surface defects of the CdS nanocrystals. The quantum yield of the Cd1-xHoxS nanocrystals reached 89%. These exceptional properties may open a new prospect for the Cd1-xHoxS QDs to be employed in the fields of the display panels and QLEDs.