CdTe nanocrystals: Synthesis, optical characterization, and pseudopotential calculation of the band gap

CdTe nanocrystals were synthesized in aqueous solution using 1-thioglycerol and 2-mercaptoethanol as surface stabilizers. The nanocrystals were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction and UV-vis absorption measurements. The UV-vis absorption spectra exhibit two distinct transition lines. Comparison of the experimental measurements with the results of the empirical pseudopotential calculations of the CdTe nanocrystals showed that the lower energy absorption line can be assigned to the heavy-hole exciton transition, whereas the higher energy absorption line can be attributed to the light-hole exciton transition.