Synthesis of Fluorescent Quantum Dots
The visible absorption and photoluminescence of CdSe nanoparticles depend on the size of the particle. A sudden injection of room temperature selenium solution into hot cadmium solution produces quickly-growing seed crystals. Samples are withdrawn from the hot solution and quenched at room temperature to produce a series of increasing particle sizes and observable change in color.
Quantum dots are nanoparticles that have generalized use in solar panels, transistors, quantum computers, LEDs and medical imaging. They have properties that lie between semiconductors and discreet molecules. Their synthesis often is associated with a variety of methodologies for example plasma synthesis, colloidal synthesis, fabrication or even viral assembly. Often they may have high levels of toxicity due to the Cadmium containing particles they contain, which can be released as free cadmium under certain conditions i.e. UV exposure or Air oxidation resulting in cell death.