Controlled nucleation and growth of CdS nanoparticles by turbulent dispersion.

We propose and test a method for controlling the size of nanoparticles, which plays a fundamental role in their electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. The method utilizes turbulent mixing, and is applicable to the fabrication of any type of nanoparticle that uses a solution environment in the preparation process. We show by well-controlled experiments on the CdS nanoparticles, which are semiconducting materials, that the average size d of the particles decreases with Reynolds number Re.