Studies of the quantum yield (QY) of CdS quantum dots (QDs) with broadband luminescence are presented. These QDs are synthesized using the classic inverse micelle method employing the surfactant dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt in heptane. Previous studies have shown that the QY of these materials is in the range of 10-13%. We have found that dehydration and UV photolysis roughly double the QY to typically similar to 20%, while only slightly redshifting the emission. Dehydration is accomplished by cooling the samples to -30 degrees C to remove the water from the inverse micelles. The addition of trialkylamines to dehydrated, photolyzed solutions results in a further improvement in QY to 37%. This effect is independent of amine chain length over the range studied. (C) 2009 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3250916] All rights reserved.