4-Mercaptovaleric acid (4MVA) and 3-mercaptovaleric acid (3MVA), two branched isomers of 5-mercaptovaleric acid (MVA), were designed and synthesized. They were used as capping agents in the aqueous synthesis of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) by a modified hydrothermal method with sodium tellurite as Te source. Compared with MVA- CdTe , either 4MVA-QDs or 3MVA-QDs exhibited higher fluorescent quantum yield (QY) and sharper absorption peak, which confirmed the superiority of using branched mercapto acids in the aqueous synthesis of QDs for improved optical properties. The fluorescence of QDs capped with 4MVA was higher than that of QDs capped with 4-mercaptobutyric acid (MBA) but lower than that of QDs capped with 3-mercaptobutyric acid (3MBA), which further confirmed the advantage of designing methyl side group rather than methylene group in the main chain for desired optical properties. However, the lower fluorescence, less sharp absorption peak and faster growth rate of 3MVA-QDs than that of 3MBA-QDs indicated adverse effect of side group on the aqueous synthesis of QDs if the size of side group is very bulky. Our results are helpful for selecting and designing appropriate capping agents for QDs with excellent properties.
Synthesis and characterization of CdTe quantum dots by one-step method