Efficient Synthesis of PbTe Nanoparticle Networks

The synthesis of semiconductor nanocrystalline networks using weak capping ligands in aqueous media has been demonstrated.Carbohydrates,includingβ-cyclodextrin,D-(+)-glucose,D-glucosamine,lactobionic acid,sucrose,and starch were chosen as weak ligands to facilitate the formation of PbTe nanoparticle networks.The nanoparticle size,ranging from 5 nm to 30 nm,can be tuned by manipulating the temperature and concentration.Through a similar strategy,more complicated nanostructures including carbohydrate spheres@PbTe core-shell structures and Te@carbohydrate@PbTe multilayered submicron cables have been fabricated.This is a general approach which can be easily extended to the fabrication of other semiconductor networks,including PbSe and Bi2Te3 using carbohydrates and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA),respectively,as ligands.