Modulated Binary–Ternary Dual Semiconductor Heterostructures

Abstract

Ag eneric modular synthetic strategy for the fabrication of as eries of binary-ternary group II-VI and group I-III-VI coupled semiconductor nano-heterostructures is reported. Using Ag 2 Se nanocrystals first as acatalyst and then as sacrificial seeds,f our dual semiconductor heterostructures were designed with similar shapes:C dSe-AgInSe 2 ,C dSeAgGaSe 2 ,Z nSe-AgInSe 2 ,a nd ZnSe-AgGaSe 2 .A mong these, dispersive type-II heterostructures are further explored for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from water and these are observed to be superior catalysts than the binary or ternary semi-conductors.D etails of the chemistry of this modular synthesis have been studied and the photophysical processes involved in catalysis are investigated.

Reactive AgAuS and Ag3AuS2 Synthons Enable the Sequential Transformation of Spherical Nanocrystals into Asymmetric Multicomponent Hybrid Nanoparticles

“…For example, ZnS@CdS core–shell tetrapods were accessed by complete anion exchange of ZnO tetrapods to form ZnS, followed by partial exchange of the Zn 2+ cations with Cd 2+ to form a CdS shell . Similarly, using Ag 2 Se as seeds, multiple types of similarly shaped II–VI and I–III–VI semiconductor heterostructures, such as CdSe–AgInSe 2 , were synthesized and shown to exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activities …”

Synthesis and Thermoelectric Properties of Noble Metal Ternary Chalcogenide Systems of Ag–Au–Se in the Forms of Alloyed Nanoparticles and Colloidal Nanoheterostructures

“…Besides controlling size and shape of NPs, it allows sequential deposition of several materials in the form of a single hybrid NP, it fully exploits unconventional reactivity of nanomaterials such as cation or anion exchange, and it stabilizes metastable phases. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Thus, the formation of heterostructures with appropriate interfaces and the fine control over their chemical composition are reasonable aspects to be achieved by means of colloidal chemistry, and definitely key factors for further developments. 16,24,25 Just as a tiny fraction of numerous examples, type II-semiconductor heterostructures such as CdSe@CdTe multibranched NPs, metal-semiconductor hybrid systems such as Au(Pt)-CdSe nanodumbbells or Au(Pt)-Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 NPs, bimetallic core@shell Co@Cu or FePd@Pd nanostructures and narrow band gap semiconductor core-shell PbTe@PbS NPs have shown to be efficient systems for optoelectronic, catalytic and thermoelectric applications.…”