A facile solution route for the synthesis of PbSe–Au nanocomposites with different morphologies

Abstract

A key frontier in nanomaterial fabrication is the integration of different materials within the same structure as a means to increase functionality. Herein, a facile solution route for the synthesis of nanocomposites consisting of PbSe and gold is reported. It has been found that the molar ratio of PbSe/Au has great influence on the morphologies of the PbSe–Au nanocomposites. The evolution from nanocomposites with multiple Au deposition on the particle surface to those with a single Au domain, and further to pineapple-like morphologies has been illustrated by increasing the molar ratio of Au/PbSe during the synthesis. Surprisingly, the experimental observations show that the growth of Au on the surface of PbSe has an upper limit size. Upon the achievement of this size, addition of more Au precursors only results in the deposition of Au on extra sites over the surface of PbSe instead of continuous growth of the Au domain, termed ‘pineapple-like’ nanocomposites. This thereby extends an opportunity for the fabrication and control of nanostructures, in particular for nanocrystals composed of different materials.