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PbS micro-nanostructures with controlled morphologies by a novel thermal decomposition approach

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Abstract

A novel synthetic approach for the preparation of PbS micro-nanostructures with different morphologies has been reported. PbS micro-nanostructures with various morphologies such as stars, dendrites, hexapods, and cubes were synthesized by thermal decomposition of lead acetate and thiourea in ethylene glycol at 120 °C, in air, in the absence of any surfactant. The PbS micro-nanostructures were characterized using different analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The effect of different synthetic parameters such as [Pb2+:S2−] ratio, decomposition temperature, time, and source of sulfur on the morphologies of PbS was investigated and the mechanism for the formation of micro-nanostructures with different morphologies has also been proposed.

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Acknowledgments

The award of Junior/Senior Research Fellowship (JRF/SRF) to Ms. Rama Gaur by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India, is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to the Institute Instrumentation Centre, IIT Roorkee, for providing some of the facilities used in the present study.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, 247667, India

    Rama Gaur & P. Jeevanandam

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  1. Rama Gaur
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  2. P. Jeevanandam
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Correspondence to P. Jeevanandam.

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Gaur, R., Jeevanandam, P. PbS micro-nanostructures with controlled morphologies by a novel thermal decomposition approach. J Nanopart Res 18, 80 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-016-3382-5

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