Synthesis of functionalized CdS nanocrystals

Cadmium chloride and sodium sulfide were employed as raw materials to prepare hydroxyl coated and size tunable CdS nanocrystal in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) as organic ligand. Different ratios of ME/Cd²⁺ and H₂O/DMF were performed to examine the effects of the organic ligand and solvents on the resulting particles size. The spherical nanoparticles prepared were well dispersed in H₂O/DMF solution without any aggregate, which was confirmed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra showed that hydroxyl group was coated on the surface of nanocrystal successfully. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization revealed the cubic phase was predominant in the functionalized CdS nanocrystal.