Colloidal atomic layer deposition growth of PbS/CdS core/shell quantum dotsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details and characterization. See DOI: 10.1039/c6cc07403k

Traditionally, PbS/CdS quantum dots (QDs) have been synthesized via a cation exchange method, making fine control over shell growth challenging. We show here that colloidal atomic layer deposition (c-ALD) allows for the sequential growth of single monolayers of the shell, thus creating a 'true' CdS shell on PbS QDs. We show here a self-limiting layer-by-layer growth of a CdS shell on PbS cores.