Van der Waals epitaxy of ultrathin crystalline PbTe nanosheets with high near-infrared photoelectric response

Lead telluride(PbTe)is one of the reliable candidates for infrared(IR)optoelectronics with optimum band-gap as well as excellent photoelectric properties.Great interests had been paid on the growth and device applications with PbTe for the development of high-performance IR photodetectors especially those working in the near-infrared regime.Although a great deal of effort had been made to prepare PbTe nanostructures for miniaturized detectors,it is difficult to synthesize high-quality two-dimensional(2D)PbTe crystals due to its rock-salt non-layered structure.Herein,a facile strategy for controllable synthesis of ultrathin crystalline PbTe nanosheets by van der Waals epitaxy is reported.With an optimized growth temperature,which determines the morphology transit from triangular pyramid islands to regular square 2D planars,PbTe nanosheets in lateral size of tens of microns with thickness down to~7 nm are achieved.Meanwhile,ultrasensitive near-infrared detectors(NIRDs)based on the as-grown 2D PbTe nanosheets have been demonstrated with an ultrahigh responsivity exceeding 3,847 A/W at the wavelength of 1,550 nm under room temperature.Our approach demonstrates that 2D PbTe nanosheets have great latent capacity of developing high-performance miniaturized IR optoelectronic devices.

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of Na-doped Pb Te synthesized under high pressure

Despite an effective p-type dopant for PbTe, the low solubility of Na limits the fully optimization of thermoelectric properties of Na-doped PbTe. In this work, Na-doped PbTe was synthesized under high pressure. The formation of the desired rocksalt phase with substantially increased Na content leads to a high carrier concentration of 3.2×10^20 cm^-3 for Na0.03Pb0.97Te. Moreover, dense in-grain dislocations are identified from the microstructure analysis. Benefited from the improved power factor and greatly suppressed lattice thermal conductivity, the maximal ZT of 1.7 is achieved in the optimal Na0.03Pb0.97Te. Current work thus designates the advantage of high pressure in synthesizing PbTe-based thermoelectric materials.

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.

Solvothermal synthesis of PbTe/SnTe hybrid nanocrystals

PbTe/SnTe hybrid nanocrystals with designed shape, chemical composition and narrow size distribution were synthesized by an efficient solvothermal approach. This approach enables mass and economical synthesis of PbTe-based nanocrystals. The organic ligands were completely removed by pretreatment with a super-hydride solution, making it possible to fabricate fully dense and robust thermoelectric devices with increased electrical conductivity.