Surface-defect-states photoluminescence in CdS nanocrystals prepared by one-step aqueous synthesis method

CdS nanocrystals were prepared by a simple one-step aqueous synthesis method using thioglycolic acid (TGA) as the capping molecule, and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV–vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy. The effects of both TGA/Cd and Cd/S molar ratio on the surface-defect-state PL intensity of CdS nanocrystals have been investigated. It was found that all of the as-prepared CdS nanocrystals showed a strong broad emission in the range of 450–700 nm centered at 560 nm, which was attributed to the recombination of an electron trapped in a sulfur vacancy with a hole in the valance band of CdS. The surface-defect-states emission intensity of CdS nanocrystals significantly increased with the increase of Cd/S molar ratio, and showed a maximum when Cd/S molar ratio was 2.0. If Cd/S molar ratio continued to increase, namely more than 2.0, the surface-defect-states emission intensity would decrease. It was found that the surface-defect-states emission intensity increased with the increase the TGA/Cd molar ratio, and showed a maximum when the TGA/Cd molar ratio was equal to 1.8, and a further increase of the TGA/Cd molar ratio would lead to the decrease of the surface-defect-states emission intensity.