The influence of water–organic solvent composition on the morphology and luminescent properties of CdS nanoparticles obtained by chemical precipitation

Abstract

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles have been obtained by chemical precipitation onto the surface of single-crystalline silicon from an aqueous solution of ammonia, cadmium chloride (CdCl₂), and thiourea, as well as from water–DMSO and water–DMF mixtures with the same concentrations of the reagents. According to data of atomic force microscopy, the samples obtained from the aqueous solution consist of individual nanoparticles and agglomerates thereof with sizes of no larger than 1 µm. Materials obtained from the water–organic mixtures are distinguished by the aggregation of CdS nanoparticles into threadlike chains. The length of the formed curved chains and the size of CdS nanoparticles composing them depend on the nature and amount of an organic component of a mixture. Atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy data have shown that the average size of CdS nanoparticles is 2–2.5 nm depending on solvent composition.