Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. (2022) 231: 651-658
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-021-00387-4

Regular Article

The effect of CTAB and lactic acid as surfactants in ZnS quantum dots: a simple method for colloidal synthesis and characterization

Laser Spectroscopy Programme, Department of Physics, Karnatak University, 580003, Dharwad, India

Received: 31 July 2021
Accepted: 13 December 2021
Published online: 3 January 2022

Abstract

This paper consists of detailed explanation on a very simple yet effective way of synthesis of fluorescent ZnS quantum dots. We have obtained this, employing colloidal coprecipitation method for synthesis. The effect of two different capping agents on the size, structure, and photonic properties has been studied. For this study, we have used Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB), a long-chain surfactant with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties as a capping agent. This work is continuation of our own work recently published, which deals with the comparison of very similar quantum dots capped by lactic acid, a simple carboxylic acid with biocompatibility. To study the effects of two different capping agents, the samples have undergone various characterization techniques such as XRD, HR-TEM, FTIR, UV–Vis absorption, and photoluminescence. The size distribution histogram, SAED pattern, and Tauc plot have been analyzed as additional characterization methods. The final results suggest that these two capping agents do not affect the crystal structure and any intrinsic material parameters. However, we have observed slight variation in average size and optical bandgaps.