Facile synthesis of PbTe nanoparticles and thin films in alkaline aqueous solution at room temperature

A novel, simple, and cost-effective route to PbTe nanoparticles and films is reported in this paper. The PbTe nanoparticles and films are fabricated by a chemical bath method, at room temperature and ambient pressure, using conventional chemicals as starting materials. The average grain size of the nanoparticles collected at the bottom of the bath is ∼25 nm. The film deposited on glass substrate is dense, smooth, and uniform with silver gray metallic luster. The film exhibits p-type conduction and has a moderate Seebeck coefficient value (∼147 μV K⁻¹) and low electrical conductivity (∼0.017 S cm⁻¹). The formation mechanism of the PbTe nanoparticles and films is proposed.