High throughput process for the continuous preparation of quantum dots using fluid dynamically controlled reactor

Scale-up of synthesis process is highly required for commercial application of quantum dots (QDs). Although batch-type hot injection method is most popular synthesis route for QDs, its commercial scale-up version only gives non-uniform and less luminescent QDs with broad size distribution. In this study, we introduce a novel and facile method of large-scale synthesis of QDs using a fluid-dynamically controlled reactor, Taylor-Couette reactor (TCR). We successfully synthesized CdSe QDs with TCR and as-synthesized QDs were capped with epitaxial CdS layers using the molecular precursors for enhanced luminescence. The synthesis process was stabilized after 20 min from the start of initial injection of precursors and standard deviation of luminescence wavelength and spectral linewidth was less than 1 nm. After shell capping process based on pyrolysis of Cd-diethyldithiocarbamate, CdSe QDs synthesized from continuous processing route based on TCR showed intense photoluminescence at 640 nm with a spectral linewidth of 33 nm, which is much narrower than PL spectra of QDs synthesized from conventional batch-type synthesis route using reaction vessel with large volume capacity. We demonstrated high throughput synthesis of highly luminescent CdSe QDs using TCR as a platform for continuous synthesis with very large production yield (22,560 kg‧day⁻¹‧m⁻³ in space-time yield).