Degree of supersaturation: An effective tool to control the luminescence efficiency and size distribution in CdTe quantum dots

Supersaturation controlled synthesis of thioglycollic acid (TGA) capped CdTe quantum dots in aqueous medium has been carried out. With a four-fold increase in the degree of supersaturation, the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of the nanoparticles was enhanced more than five times to a remarkably high value of 46%. This was accompanied by concomitant narrowing of the size distribution of the QDs. The simplified approach obviates the need for post-preparative treatments to improve the particle characteristics.