Influence of temperature on the synthesis of thiol-stabilized CdTe nanoparticles in aqueous solutions

We have investigated the evolution of thiol-capped cadmium telluride nanocrystals prepared in aqueous solutions at low and room temperature followed by heating at 50–100 °C. The UV–visible absorption spectra, as well as transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic light scattering observations made it possible to reveal differences in size and structure originating from different heating temperatures. It was shown that minimization of the nucleation process temperature provided formation of larger nanoparticles than at higher temperatures.