Synthesis of water-dispersible one-dimensional Te@ZnTe core–shell nanoparticles

Abstract

One-dimensional (1D) Te nanostructures are a recent focus in various 1D materials due to their interesting properties of photoconductivity, thermoelectric, catalytic activity and strong piezoelectric effect. In this work, we report a new synthesis method for water-dispersible 1D Te@ZnTe core–shell nanoparticles by using ZnTe nanoparticles as precursors. The as-prepared 1D nanoparticles have a crystalline Te core and an amorphous ZnTe shell, which are believed to be available as the cathode for dye-sensitized nanocrystal solar cells and as nanocables in the interconnection of nanodevices. Moreover, the good water dispersibility of the as-prepared 1D nanoparticles facilitated the fabrication of nanodevices via the surface functional groups of the as-prepared 1D nanoparticles.