Novel Strategy for Synthesis of High Quality CdTe Nanocrystals in Aqueous Solution

A novel aqueous route for the synthesis of high-quality CdTe nanocrystals(NCs) is presented in this article. With both glutathione(GSH) and cysteine[n(GSH):n(cysteine)=1:3] as stabilizers, high-quality CdTe NCs with controllable photoluminescence(PL) wavelength from 500 to 630 nm can be prepared within 4 h. As-prepared CdTe NCs show higher photoluminescence quantum yields(PLQY) compared with CdTe NCs prepared via other aqueous methods. When the fluorescent emission peak appeared in orange-red window, the PLQY reaches 70% or above at room temperature without any post-preparative treatment.