Preparation of Single Crystalline Bi_2Te_3 Nanorods through Chemical Reduction at Low Temperature

Bi_2Te_3 nanorods were successfully prepared through chemical reduction at low temperature. In this process,Bi(NO_3)_3·5H_2O and TeO_2 were used as reactants,NaBH_4 was used as reductant, and Brij56(HO(CH_2CH_2O)_(10)C_(16)H_(33))was used as regulator of crystal growth.EDTA was added into the solution to prevent the hydrolyzation of reactants at about pH 7.0.As-synthesized sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence,scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscope,and high-resolution transmission electron microscope.Results show that Bi_2Te_3 nanorods are single crystalline,30nm in diameter and 400nm in length.The temperature and the concentration of the surfactant Brij56 have obvious effects on the morphologies and sizes of synthesized sample.The growth mechanism of Bi_2Te_3 nanorods is also discussed.