Synthesis and characterization of high-quality water-soluble CdMnTe quantum dots capped by N-acetyl-L-cysteine through hydrothermal method

High-quality water-soluble Mn²⁺ doped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) as capping reagent have been synthesized through hydrothermal route, allowing a rapid preparation time (<1 h), tunable emitting peaks (from 530 to 646 nm) and excellent quantum yields (approximately 50%). The influences of various experimental variables, including Mn-to-Cd ratio, Te-to-Cd ratio, pH value, and reaction time on the growth rate and luminescent properties of the obtained QDs have been systematically investigated. And the optimum reaction conditions (Cd:Mn:NAC:Te=1.0:1.0:2.4:0.2, pH=9.5, 35 min, 200 °C) are found out. The optical features and structure of the obtained CdMnTe QDs have been characterized through fluorescence spectroscopy, UV absorption spectroscopy and TEM. In particular, we realized qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative studies on the doping of Mn to CdTe QDs through XPS, EDS, and AAS. The actual molar ratio of Mn to Cd in CdMnTe QDs (551 nm) is 1.166:1.00, very close to the feed ratios (1:1).