Controllable preparation of trifold nanorods and nanospheres of cadmium telluride via solvothermal process

Abstract

In this study, trifold CdTe nanorods and CdTe nanospheres were prepared by the environmentally benign solvothermal process where K2TeO3 and CdCl2 acting as the raw materials, L-ascorbic acid as the reducing agent, ethylene glycol as the solvent and polyvinylpyrrolidone as the surfactant, respectively. The morphology of the products can be regulated by the amount of KOH. Specifically, trifold CdTe nanorods could be prepared with 0.1 g of KOH before the reaction; while CdTe nanospheres were obtained with 0.5 g of KOH. The higher the amount of KOH added, the stronger the reducibility of L-ascorbic acid. For higher reducibility, CdTe crystal nuclei which was continuously generated will first nucleate and grow in the gaps between the rods of the trifold nanorods because of the special morphology and structure of the trifold nanorods. Therefore, with the increasing of the number of CdTe crystal nuclei caused by the accelerated reaction rate, the trifold nanorods will gradually evolve into nanospheres.