Optical properties of flower‐like CdS prepared by a hydrothermal method with SDBS as surfactant

In this article, flower‐like CdS structures have been prepared by a hydrothermal method with SDBS as surfactant. The influences of different experimental conditions on the morphologies, UV‐Vis and fluorescence properties of CdS have been investigated. The performances of CdS have been analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet‐visible (UV–Vis) and room‐temperature photoluminescence (PL). The XRD result indicates that the flower‐like CdS structures are of hexagonal phase. The FESEM results indicate that the main role of SDBS is to make the CdS crystals assemble together to form the flower‐like structures. The UV–Vis results show CdS has a strong absorption in the ultraviolet region and visible‐light region. The PL results show CdS has two emission peaks, respectively at 461 nm and 553 nm. The growth mechanism for the formation of flower‐like CdS structures is also described.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of bundle‐like CdS nanostructures assembled by high‐quality nanorods

Bundle‐like cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanostructures assembled by high‐quality nanorods have been successfully synthesized on a large scale via a facile solvothermal route in a mixed solvent of ethylenediamine and dodecanethiol. The typical lengths of bundle‐like CdS nanostructures are several tens of micrometers, and the diameters and lengths of CdS nanorods are about 50–70 nm and several micrometers, respectively. The influence of the concentration of dodecanethiol on the morphologies of CdS nanostructures has been investigated carefully. Photoluminescence spectra (PL) of CdS nanostructures reveal that the bundle‐like CdS nanostructures exhibited two fluorescence emission peaks centered at 495nm (2.51 eV) and 522 nm (2.38 eV) as the excitation wavelength is 405 nm. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

One‐step green synthesis by organic molten salt method and optical properties of CdS nanosheets

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanosheets were synthesized by an environment friendly, “green” organic molten salt (OMS) method at 220 °C. The as‐synthesized products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The XRD results reveal that the as‐synthesized CdS nanosheets are of the hexagonal wurtzite structure and the CdS nanosheets grow along the c‐axis. The SEM results indicate that the diameters and thickness of the CdS nanosheets are about 20–40 nm and 5–10 nm, respectively. The optical properties of the CdS nanosheets were investigated by ultraviolet–visible (UV‐Vis) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The ultraviolet–visible spectrum exhibits two excitonic peaks with a step‐like absorption and the photoluminescence spectrum shows a green emission peak centered at around 524 nm. A possible growth mechanism of CdS nanosheets was discussed.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of nano‐crystalline BaMoO4 under mild conditions using simple additive

Large‐scale high‐quality BaMoO₄ nanocrystals have been synthesized in aqueous solutions under mild conditions with citrate as a simple additive. The crystals have bone‐like, spindle‐like and wheatear‐like morphologies assembled from nanoparticles, nanofibers and have been characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The results showed that experimental parameters had great influences on the shape evolution of products. The adjustment of these parameters such as room temperature stirring time, reaction temperature and reaction time of hydrothermal reaction, can lead to obvious morphology changes of products, and the growth mechanism has been proposed. Room‐temperature photoluminescence indicated that the as‐prepared BaMoO₄ nanocrystals had a strong blue emission peak at 481.5 nm. This facile route could be employed to synthesize more promising nanomaterials with interesting self‐assembly structures. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Low temperature synthesis of spindle‐like ZnO nanostructures under microwave irradiation

A simple and general microwave route is developed to synthesize nanostructured ZnO using Zn(acac)₂·H₂O (acac = acetylacetonate) as a single source precursor. The reaction time has a great influence on the morphology of the ZnO nanostructures and an interesting spindle‐like nanostructure is obtained. The microstructure and morphology of the synthesized materials are investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). It is found that all of them with hexagonal wurtzite phase are of single crystalline structure in nature. Ultraviolet–visible (UV‐vis) absorption spectra of these ZnO nanostructures are investigated and a possible formation mechanism for the spindle‐like ZnO nanostructures is also proposed.     

Synthesis of multi‐linked ZnO rods by microwave heating

Synthesis of linked ZnO micro rods by microwave radiation and its characterization is presented in this report. In this simple microwave assisted solution phase route zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine has been used as the starting materials for the synthesis of linked ZnO rods. Linked ZnO rods with various morphologies such as bipods, tripods, tetrapods and etc have been prepared. The influence of irradiation time of microwave on the formation of linked ZnO rods was investigated. X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used for the characterization of the product. The FESEM images showed ZnO rods of diameter in the range of 100‐200 nm and length around 5000 nm. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Solvothermal synthesis and good electrochemical property of pinetree like Bi2S3

Hierarchical pinetree like Bi₂S₃ was synthesized through a facile solvothermal route in the mixture of deionized water and tetrahydrofuran. The phase composition, morphology, and structure of the as‐prepared Bi₂S₃ products were characterized by using various techniques including X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the pinetree like Bi₂S₃ structures were composed of numerous assembled nanosheets, which had uniform morphology with the mean width and length of about 110 nm and 15 μm, respectively. Furthermore, the electrochemical property of the obtained pinetree like Bi₂S₃ was investigated. The pinetree like Bi₂S₃ presented both the high electrochemical hydrogen storage and electrochemical Li intercalation performance.     

Facile solvothermal synthesis,growth mechanism and thermoelectric property of flower‐like Bi2Te3

Hierarchical flower‐like Bi₂Te₃ was synthesized through a facile solvothermal method. The crystal structure and morphology of the as‐prepared samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), filed emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high resolution TEM. The reaction parameters such as reaction time, the amount of glucose, concentration of NaOH and the reaction temperature were systematically investigated. Based on the FESEM observations, a possible mechanism defined as a self‐assembly process accompanied by anisotropic growth mechanism was proposed. Moreover, the thermoelectric properties were measured at the temperature range of 300–600 K. The hierarchical flower‐like Bi₂Te₃ presented good thermoelectrical properties. The maximum ZT value reached up to 0.6 at 600 K, which was higher than that of Bi₂Te₃ nanoparticles.     

Synthesis and characterization of semiconductor metal sulfide nanocrystals using microemulsion technique

The semiconductor nanocrystals ZnS, PbS, CdS and CuS were synthesized via microemulsion technique involving metal acetate, reducing agent (Na₂S) and Triton X‐100 as surfactant. Nanocrystals were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The average size of ZnS, PbS, CdS and CuS nanocrystals were found to be 5.6 nm, 13.3 nm, 11.4 nm and 6.2 nm, respectively. Different parameters like surfactant (Triton X‐100) concentration, water‐to‐surfactant ratio (ω), precursor concentration [zinc acetate, (Zn(AC)₂], reducing agent concentration [sodium sulphide, (Na₂S)] were optimized to synthesize ZnS quantum dots.     

Structural and optical response of 2‐Mercaptoethonal capped CdS nanocrystals to Fe3+ ions

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) doped with Fe³⁺ have been synthesized via a solution‐based method utilizing dopant concentrations of (0–5%) and employing 2‐mercaptoehonal as a capping agent. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the undoped CdS NCs are in mixed phase of cubic and hexagonal, where as the doped CdS NCs are in hexagonal phase. The crystallite size was increased from ∼1.2 nm to ∼2 nm. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy studies (DRS) reveals that the band gap energy was decreased with Fe doping and it lies in the range of 2.58 ‐ 2.88 eV. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of undoped CdS NCs show a strong green emission peak centered at 530 nm and a weak red emission shoulder positioned at 580 nm. After doping all the luminescence intensity was highly quenched and the green emission peak was shifted to orange region (580 nm), but the position of weak red emission shoulder was unaltered with doping. FTIR studies revealed that the NCs were sterically stabilized by 2‐mercaptoethanol. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Elliptic NdCrO3 microplate by a simple one‐step hydrothermal synthesis route and its characterization and magnetic properties

Elliptic NdCrO₃ microplates were synthesized by a simple and facile one‐step hydrothermal method of processing temperature 280 °C for 3 days. The products prepared in this paper have been characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X‐ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The magnetic properties of the final sample are also studied. The XRD pattern indicates the pure orthorhombic phase for NdCrO₃ particles, the XPS, XRF and FTIR results further demonstrate the composition and purity of the final product. A possible growth mechanism for elliptic NdCrO₃ microplates is proposed. Through the investigation of magnetic properties, it can be generally concluded that the orthorhombic elliptic NdCrO₃ microplates exhibit typical behaviors of magnetic transition, spin reorientation transition and magnetic exchange bias. The Néel temperature is 218 K and the spin reorientation transition temperature is 46 K. The hysteresis loop under 5 K shows that the value of exchange bias field (H_ex) is 12 Oe and the shift of remanent magnetization (ΔM) is 0.008 emu/g, respectively.     

Photoluminescent hierarchical Zno micro‐flower and its surface wettability

The flower‐like ZnO with micro‐nano hierarchical structure is successfully obtained by a simple hydrothermal synthesis, using sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) as a structure direct agent. The resulted ZnO micro‐flowers are very uniform in morphology with particle sizes around 1 µm. A number of techniques, including X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scan electron microscopy (FESEM), energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), are used to characterize the obtained ZnO. The self‐assemble of ZnO nano‐sheets under the direction of SDBS leads to the formation of ZnO micro‐flowers. The room temperature photoluminescence property of the obtained flower‐like ZnO exhibits a broad visible light emission. The surface of as‐made ZnO shows a very hydrophilic property, while the special micro‐nano hierarchical structure enables the ZnO micro‐flower a superhydrophobic surface after modification of fluoroalkylsilane.     

反相微乳液法制备CdS/ZnS纳米晶及其表征

用反相微乳液法制备了CdS纳米粒子,以ZnS对其表面进行包裹,得到了核壳结构的CdS/ZnS纳米晶.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)表征其结构、粒度和形貌,紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-VIS)、光致发光光谱(PL)表征其光学特性.制得的CdS纳米微粒近似呈球形,直径约3.6nm;包裹以后颗粒仍为球形,粒径约10nm,以XRD、UV-VIS和PL证实了CdS/ZnS核壳结构的实现.文章还研究了不同Zn/Cd的摩尔比对CdS/ZnS纳米微粒光学性能的影响,UV-VIS谱表明随着壳层厚度的增加CdS/ZnS纳米晶的吸收带边有轻微的红移;PL谱表明壳层ZnS的包覆可减少CdS纳米微粒的表面缺陷,带边直接复合发光几率增大,且具有合适的壳层厚度时,CdS核层的发光效率有较大提高.     

Additive‐free solvothermal synthesis of peanut‐like BiVO4 powders with enhanced photocatalysis activity

Monoclinic peanut‐like BiVO₄ products have been successfully synthesized by a solvothermal method. The volume of CH₃COOH and the concentration of NH₃·H₂O were found to play important roles in the formation of this morphology. The optimal condition for preparation of highly active peanut‐like BiVO₄ samples are the volume of CH₃COOH, which was 5 ml, and the concentration of NH₃·H₂O, which was 2 mol/L. The as‐prepared samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, DRS, BET, and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic decolorization of a Rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution under visible‐light irradiation. The results demonstrated that BiVO₄ with peanut‐like morphology was better than that of other BiVO₄ samples for photodegradation of RhB.     

CdS纳米棒的水热法制备及形成机理研究

采用水热法以Na2S· 9H2O为硫源,Cd3O12S3·8H2O为镉源,PVP为表面活性剂,成功制备了CdS纳米棒.并利用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和相应选区电子衍射(SAED)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)、X射线能量色散分析谱仪(XEDS)和紫外可见(UV-vis)分光光度计等测试手段对样品的晶体结构、形貌、微观结构和光学特性等特征进行了表征分析,实验结果表明本方法所制备的CdS纳米棒为纤锌矿结构,沿[001]方向择优生长,平均直径大约为50 nm,棒宽均匀、分散性好,带隙为2.43 eV.同时也对CdS纳米棒的形成机理进行了初步探讨,提出了CdS纳米棒的生长模型,其形貌从三角形到阶梯形棒晶,最后再到完整的棒状晶体的一个定向团聚的自组装过程.     

沉淀法制备钨酸铅微晶及形成机理研究

以硝酸铅和钨酸钠为原料,以聚乙二醇400为分散剂,采用沉淀法制备出不同形貌的钨酸铅微晶.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(FESEM)测试、能量分散光谱(EDS)、荧光光谱(PL)对样品进行了表征.结果表明:在80℃烘干后,得到结晶性能良好的纯相PbWO4;随着聚乙二醇-400量的增加,钨酸铅微晶形貌由塔状变向梭子状转变,且分散性良好、无团聚发生;PbWO4微晶在350 ～ 650 nm范围内具有较宽的发射谱带,由三组主要的发光峰构成,分别在430 nm、465 nm左右的蓝色发光峰和560 nm左右的弱的黄绿色发光峰.最后研究了PEG-400在PbWO4微晶生长阶段的控制作用,并提出了PbWO4有序微晶结构的形成机理.     

CdS纳米晶的稳定化处理及介质极性对荧光光谱的影响

用硫脲、聚乙烯吡咯烷酮、L-半胱氨酸水溶液对水热法合成的硫化镉纳米晶进行稳定化处理,发现L-半胱氨酸和聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)能有效地稳定硫化镉纳米晶,荧光发射强度比处理前增强了五十倍以上.以氯仿、氧化三(正)辛基膦(TOPO)氯仿溶液以及3-巯基丙酸为萃取(或处理)剂,对水热法合成的水溶性CdS半导体纳米晶进行处理,经过荧光光谱分析,发现介质水、氯仿、氧化三(正)辛基膦(TOPO)氯仿溶液以及3-巯基丙酸会对CdS纳米晶的最大荧光激发峰与发射峰的位置产生不同影响,极性大的水分子使得荧光峰蓝移,极性小的氯仿、氧化三(正)辛基膦(TOPO)氯仿溶液以及3-巯基丙酸使得荧光峰红移,最大位移为31nm左右.     

Well‐defined Sb2S3 nanostructures: citric acid‐assisted synthesis,electrochemical hydrogen storage properties

Well‐defined (three‐dimensional) 3‐D dandelion‐like Sb₂S₃ nanostructures consisted of numerous nanorods have been achieved via a facile citric acid‐assisted solvothermal process. The as‐prepared products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high‐resolution TEM (HRTEM), respectively. The influence factors of the formation of the hierarchical Sb₂S₃ nanostructures are discussed in details based on FESEM characterizations. By simply controlling the quantity of citric acid, the nucleation and growth process can be readily tuned, which brings the different morphologies and nanostructures of the final products. On the basis of a series of contrastive experiments, the aggregation‐based process and anisotropic growth mechanism are reasonably proposed to understand the formation mechanism of Sb₂S₃ hierarchical architectures with distinctive morphologies including nanorods, and dandelion‐like nanostructures. Charge‐discharge curves of the obtained Sb₂S₃ nanostructures were measured to investigate their electrochemical hydrogen storage behaviors. It revealed that the morphology played a key role on the hydrogen storage capacity of Sb₂S₃ nanostructure. The dandelion‐like Sb₂S₃ nanostructures exhibited higher hydrogen storage capacity (108 mAh g⁻¹) than that of Sb₂S₃ nanorods (95 mAh g⁻¹) at room temperature.     

Fabrication of ferric oxide/reduced graphene oxide/cadmium sulfide heterostructure photoelectrode for enhanced photoelectrochemical performance

A novel high‐efficiency photoelectrode (Fe₂O₃/reduced graphene oxide/CdS) built from heterostructure and conductive scaffold has been successfully designed and synthesized. Reduced graphene oxide works as a “bridge” which benefits for electron and hole transport. The obtained heterostructure photoelectrodes were systematically characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photoconversion efficiency (η) and photocurrent densities vs. time (I‐t) curves responding to monochromatic lights have been further investigated in‐depth, which reveals that introduction of CdS and reduced graphene oxide played an important role in the enhancement of photoelectrochemical performance.     

Preparation of CuO mesocrystals via antlerite intermediate for photocatalytic applications

CuO mesocrystals were synthesized by thermal decomposition of antlerite (Cu₃(OH)₄SO₄) formed as an intermediate by the reaction between CuSO₄.5H₂O and urea under specific experimental conditions. Antlerite possessing spindles of sea urchin‐like morphology was obtained via controlled hydrolysis process using ethylene glycol as a co‐solvent. Antlerite and CuO mesocrystals were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform‐infrared spectrum (FT‐IR), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). A probable mechanism for formation of such morphologies has been proposed. The photocatalytic and optical properties of CuO mesocrystals were also evaluated.