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Virginia Tech

Organometallic Synthesis Kinetics of CdSe Quantum Dots

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

CdSe quantum dots produced by organometallic synthesis are useful as tunable emitters for photonic devices and as multi-colored protein markers for biomedical imaging, applications requiring bright and narrow emission. A diffusion-limited model helped monitor growth rates via photoluminescence and absorbance spectroscopy, in order to characterize synthesis kinetics in stearic acid, dodecylamine, and in trioctylphosphine oxide. The nucleation rate increased with Se concentration, while the growth rate followed the Cd concentration. Emission peak widths, emission redshift rates, nanocrystal growth rates, and reactant concentrations all decreased to a minimum when emission reached the critical wavelength, at a reaction completion time, tc. The temperature dependence of 1/tc and of redshift rates followed Arrhenius behavior governed by activation energies, which were tailored by the choice of solvent. Synthesis in solvents, such as stearic acid, with lower activation energies produced faster initial nanocrystal growth and longer critical wavelengths. The highest photoluminescence quantum yield was generally at wavelengths shorter than the critical wavelength, when moderate growth rates enabled surface reconstruction while precursors were still available.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Materials Science and Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Materials Science and Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2005

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Dickerson, Bryan Douglas
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Claus, Richard O.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Davis, Richey M.
  • Love, Brian J.
  • Robertson, John L.
  • Spillman, William B. Jr.
  • Meissner, Kenith E.

Subjects

dc:subject × 13

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-04262005-181042
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/27322

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Dickerson, Bryan Douglas. Organometallic Synthesis Kinetics of CdSe Quantum Dots. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27322