Composition-tunable properties of CdSxTe1-x alloy nanocrystals

Ternary CdSxTe1-x semiconductor quantum dots with both homogeneous and gradient composition have been fabricated via pyrolysis of organometallic precursors. The nanocrystal structure, size, and composition were characterized by UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray elemental analysis, and X-ray diffractrometry. It was found that the band gap of homogeneously alloyed CdSxTe1-x is highly nonlinear with the crystalline composition, which was evidenced by a significant red-shift in the fluorescence of these nanocrystals with respect to the emission wavelength of their CdS and CdTe binary compounds. This effect, also known as optical bowing, seems to be enhanced in CdSxTe1-x nanocrystals because of large differences in atomic radii and electronegativities of S and Te chalcogens. Properties of gradient ternary alloys were found to be markedly different from those of homogeneous CdSxTe1-x. Their absorption and emission profiles, for instance, had a relatively low spectral overlap leading to large Stokes shifts of up to 150 nm. Other properties of fabricated CdSxTe1-x, nanocrystals and their significance to applications in areas of biomedical imaging, solar cells, and quantum dot-based LEDs are discussed.