Understanding the isothermal growth kinetics of cdse quantum dots through microfluidic reactor assisted combinatorial synthesis

Abstract

With the use of a microfluidic-assisted combinatorial reactor, the synthesis of CdSe quantum dots was optimized by varying one parameter at a time, and the isothermal growth kinetics of CdSe quantum dots using various models was analyzed. To understand precisely the nucleation and growth characteristics of CdSe quantum dots (QDs), we synthesized the CdSe QDs using various experimental conditions. Different model equations, like acceleratory growth-time curves, sigmoidal growth-time curves or Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK), acceleratory growthtime curves based on diffusion, geometric model growth-time curves, and n^th order growth-time curves were fitted. Among all growth models, the JMAK model with $\alpha = 1 - {e^{ - {{(kt)}^n}}}$, and n = 1 was the best fitting model with the MATLAB interactive curve-fitting procedure were used. Errors associated with the best-fitting model and statistics for the goodness of fit were analyzed. Most of the models were not as good as the other than the proposed model. The errors associated with the proposed model were minimal, and the growth kinetics and other associated statistical factors are very similar, for all the variables investigated. The minimal error associated with the reproducibility and the similar data for growth kinetics for all studied parameters indicated that microfluidic-assisted combinatorial synthesis can be used in the industrial production of QDs. By using the proposed model to obtain an understanding of growth of QDs, their size and properties can be managed and simulated.