General solution-based route to V–VI semiconductors nanorods from hydrolysate

V–VI (Bi₂Se₃, Bi₂Te₃, Sb₂Se₃, and Sb₂Te₃) semiconductors nanorods with the diameters of 40–90 nm have been synthesized starting from BiCl₃ (or SbCl₃) and Na₂SeO₃ (or Na₂TeO₃) by using NaH₂PO₂·H₂O as the reduced agent at 140°C for 24 h. The samples were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. XPS spectra of the products show the obtained samples are close to stoichiometry. The hydrolysate of the starting materials could be served as the precursor and sharply decreases the growth of the samples; a possible hydrolyzation–reduction–crystallization process was also proposed to explore the formation mechanism of these nanorods.