Controlled Aqueous Synthesis of CdSe Quantum Dots using Double-Hydrophilic Block Copolymers as Stabilizers

We present a simple experimental procedure to obtain CdSe quantum dots from aqueous solution with a controllable size. Double-hydrophilic block copolymers consisting of a poly(ethylene glycol) block and a block of either poly(ethylene imine) or polylysine are used as stabilizers. UV/VIS absorption spectroscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation and transmission electron microscopy are used to examine the resulting quantum dots. The particle size...