Synthesis and characterization of CdS quantum dots in polystyrene microbeads

Polystyrene microbeads doped with highly luminescent CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been prepared. Polystyrene particles with diameters ranging from 100 nm to 500 urn were prepared by a suspension polymerization method and with different loadings of QDs. The resulting organic-inorganic microspheres have been characterized by FTIR, elemental analysis and SEM. Confocal microscopy and photoluminescence studies proved that the CdS nanoparticles were evenly distributed throughout the polystyrene spheres. The QD-containing composites have similar optical properties to isolated CdS QDs. The thermal decomposition of the hybrid materials occurred at higher temperature than for the parent organic materials.