Growth and dissolution of CdS nanoparticles in glass

We report and analyse x-ray absorption spectroscopy of the Cd K edge of CdS-doped glass during growth and dissolution of CdS nanoparticles. Average particle size is deduced from a combination of x-ray and optical spectroscopies. We propose a simple thermodynamic model in which the limiting reactant is in only two environments, either dissolved in the glass or in CdS particles. In this model, the time- and temperature-dependent concentration of Cd dissolved in the glass is related to the total concentrations of Cd and S, the equilibrium solubility of the limiting reactant, and the average CdS particle size.