Full Length ArticleMetal sulfide precursor aqueous solutions for fabrication of Ag-doped ZnxCd1−xS quantum dots thin films

Aqueous solution deposition of metal chalcogenide semiconductor thin films is considered a green and low-cost approach. So it is hard to find a general aqueous solution approach to deposit various kinds of high-quality metal sulfide quantum dots thin films. Here, we describe a green and robust aqueous solution approach, and five types of metal sulfide precursor solutions (Cu(CH3COO)2, AgNO3, Zn(CH3COO)2, Cd(CH3COO)2·2H2O, Ni(CH3COO)2·4H2O) can be prepared at room temperature under air atmosphere. By this green route, luminescent Ag-doped ZnxCd1−xS semiconductor films have been successfully synthesized via a facile and green method in the open air at 260 °C using precursors. NH3·H2O (28-30%) were used as solvent, and 3-mercaptopropionic acid was used as the capping agents. As-prepared quantum dot thin films exhibit a tunable emission covering the whole visible light region. The absolute photoluminescence quantum yields can reach as high as 24.6%, which have a high potential application in luminescent, transparent, and conductive thin films.