Directionally Dendritic Growth of Metal Chalcogenide Crystals Via Mild Template-Free Solvothermal Method
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ARTICLE IN PRESS Journal of Crystal Growth 283 (2005) 230–241 www.elsevier.com/locate/jcrysgro Directionally dendritic growth of metal chalcogenide crystals via mild template-free solvothermal method Ai-Miao Qina, Yue-Ping Fanga, Wen-Xia Zhaoa, Han-Qin Liua, Cheng-Yong Sua,b,Ã aSchool of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China bThe State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002, China Received 10 February 2005; received in revised form10 April 2005; accepted 17 May 2005 Available online 7 July 2005 Communicated by R.M. Biefeld Abstract Dendritic metal chalcogenide (HgS, CdS and PbS) single crystals have been prepared via facile and mild solvothermal process in water or ethanol/water systems. SEM and TEM observations show that HgS and CdS dendrites exhibit whole or part of the two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal snowflake spatial pattern while PbS exhibits whole or part of the three-dimensional (3D) octahedral star-like morphology. Selected area electron diffusion (SAED) and HRTEM show that all of these dendrites are single crystals whose shape evolution is closely related to their intrinsic crystal symmetries. The factors influencing the evolution of the crystal morphology, i.e. reactant molar ratio, solvent, sulfur source, reaction time and temperature have been investigated. Two dimensional six-fold symmetrical HgS and CdS dentrites and 3D four-fold symmetrical PbS dentrite have been fabricated by a facile solvothermal method. The crystal evolution process has been investigated. r 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: A1. Dentrite; A2. Solvothermal crystal growth; B1. Nanocrystals; B2. Metal chalcogenide 1. Introduction size is an important goal of modern materials chemistry although this still remains a key obstacle Construction of nano- or microscopic-scale to overcome [1]. In recent years, self-assembly of inorganic materials with well-defined shape and meso-, micro-, or nanostructured functional ma- terials with organized product arrangement has ÃCorresponding author. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, become an active research field in material China. Tel./fax: +86 20 84115178. synthesis and device fabrication [2], partly stimu- E-mail address: [email protected] (C.-Y. Su). lated by the success of supramolecular synthesis 0022-0248/$ - see front matter r 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2005.05.056 ARTICLE IN PRESS A.-M. Qin et al. / Journal of Crystal Growth 283 (2005) 230–241 231 strategy which resembles many natural dynamical paper, Qian et al. reported hierarchical growth processes where formation and organization take of dentritic HgS [24] with hydrothermal treat- place simultaneously [3]. If the shape evolution ments of a Hg(II)-thiourea complex. In an effort processes are understood and predicable, it could to explore the programmable dendritic growth be possible to programthe systemto fabricate path of metal chalcogenide, we carried out a materials with desired morphology and crystal- systematic investigation to synthesize HgS, CdS linity. The subject of inorganic dendrites has been and PbS dendrites via a hydro/solvothermal drawing much attention since Nittmann and process in water or mixed ethanol/water system. Stanley [4] reported dendritic growth patterns in Hexagonal branched HgS and CdS crystals and 1986. Many models and theories have been octahedrally branched PbS crystals have been proposed to explain this ubiquitous phenomenon, obtained, whose branching modes was found to most of them focused on nonequilibrium growth exactly match the inherent crystal symmetry of the and molecular anisotropy [5]. However, the metal chalcogenide. complete understanding and controllable growth of dentrites still represent a great challenge to practitioners in many fields. 2. Experimental procedure Metal chalcogenides have attracted considerable research interest for many decades due to their 2.1. Instrumentation unique semiconducting and optical properties [6,7]. For example, mercury sulfide is a useful SEM images were obtained using a JSM-6330F material which can be widely used in ultrasonic operating at 20 kV and TEM and HRTEM transducers, catalysts, electrostatic image materi- images were obtained using a JEOL JEM-2010 als and photoelectric conversion devices [8–11]. with an accelerating voltage of 200 kV. The XRD Further more, Single HgS (cinnabar) crystal is a patterns were recorded with a D/Max-IIIA dif- famous natural chiral crystal and expected to be ( fractometer with Cu Ka radiation (l ¼ 1:54056 A) used for stereochemical reactions [12]. Much effort at a scanning rate of 0.071 sÀ1 for 2y ranging has been devoted to the synthesis of metal from10 1 to 701. A Shimadzu spectrophotometer chalcogenide of various morphologies, such as (model 2501 PC) equipped with an integrating rods [13], wires [14], tubes [15], etc., with various sphere was used to record the UV–vis diffuse techniques and methods involving microwave reflectance spectra of the sample. Raman spectro- synthesis [16], sonasynthesis [17] and electroche- scopy measurements were carried out using a mical deposition [18] and so on. The formation of Renishaw RM 3000 spectrometer with the spatial patterns of metal chalcogenide is of special 632.8 nmwavelength line froma He–Ne (25 mW) interest because subtle influencing factors may laser. result in completely different crystal shape. Qian et al. reported the synthesis of rod-based PbS dendrites with different morphologies via a sol- 2.2. Growth of HgS crystalline dentrites vothermal process [19]. Liu et al. applied surfac- tant to assemble PbS dendrites with cross-like In a typical procedure, 0.272 g (1 mmol) mercury morphology [20]. Qi et al. used thermal decom- chloride (HgCl2) was dissolved in 18 ml distilled position method to prepare the star-shaped PbS water and 0.304 g (4 mmol) thiourea (Tu) was crystals [21]. Multi-pod or dentritic CdS nanorods added by stirring, then the mixture was transferred have been obtained by means of thermal decom- into a 25 ml Teflon-lined autoclave and heated to position or evaporation-condensation methods 140 1C and maintain for 12 h. After the autoclave [22], respectively, and spindle-like morphology was cooled naturally to roomtemperature, the mediated by cauliflower- and branching-like mi- precipitate was collected and washed with distilled cropatterns of CdS was achieved by the solvother- water and absolute ethanol for several times, and mal process [23]. During the preparation of this then dried at 50 1C for 4 h. ARTICLE IN PRESS 232 A.-M. Qin et al. / Journal of Crystal Growth 283 (2005) 230–241 2.3. Growth of CdS crystalline dentrites ethanol for several times, and then dried at 60 1C for 4 h. The synthesis process is similar to that of HgS but the temperature, solvent and the molar ratio of 2.4. Growth of PbS crystalline dentrites the starting materials are different. 0.457 g (2 mmol) cadmium chloride (CdCl2) was dissolved Lead acetate (Pb(CH3COO)2) of 1.138 g in a mixture of 24 ml EtOH/H2O (v/v ¼ 2:1), (3 mmol) was dissolved in a solvent of 33 ml and 0.457 g (6 mmol) ammonium thiocyanate EtOH/H2O (v/v ¼ 1:2 v/v), and 0.229 g (3 mmol) (NH4CSN) was added with stirring. The resulting thiourea (Tu) was added by stirring. The resulting mixture was transferred into a 30 ml Teflon-lined mixture was transferred into a 40 ml Teflon-lined autoclave and heated to 170 1C and maintain for autoclave and heated to 120 1C and maintain for 12 h. After the autoclave was cooled naturally to 12 h. After the autoclave was cooled naturally to roomtemperature, the precipitate was collected roomtemperature, the precipitate was collected and washed with distilled water and absolute and washed with distilled water and absolute Fig. 1. Representative powder X-ray diffraction patterns of obtained samples: (a) HgS, (b) CdS and (c) PbS. ARTICLE IN PRESS A.-M. Qin et al. / Journal of Crystal Growth 283 (2005) 230–241 233 ethanol for several times, and then dried at 60 1C compared with the standard reflection patterns of for 4 h. HgS and CdS, respectively, which is probably related to the preferential orientation of the crystals. The diffraction peaks in Fig. 1(c) are well 3. Results and discussion matched cubic phase PbS with calculated lattice ( constants a ¼ 5:935 A, (JCPDS No. 05-0592, ( 3.1. Crystal morphologies and characterization a ¼ 5:9362 A). The morphologies and structures of the samples The representative XRD patterns of obtained are examined by SEM and TEM. Fig. 2a–d shows HgS, CdS and PbS are shown in Fig. 1. All the the representative SEM images of the obtained reflections in Fig. 1(a) and (b) can be indexed to HgS, CdS and PbS samples. It can be seen that all hexagonal phase HgS and CdS, with calculated the samples have dendritic structures. The spatial ( lattice constants a ¼ 4:146, c ¼ 9:500 A, (cinnabar, patterns of HgS and CdS are quite similar, ( JCPDS No.06-0256, a ¼ 4:149, c ¼ 9:495 A) displaying whole or part of the hexagonal snow- ( and a ¼ 4:129, c ¼ 6:697 A (JCPDS No.77-2306, flake-like morphology, while PbS exhibits whole or ( a ¼ 4:136, c ¼ 6:713 A), respectively. It is worth part of the octahedral star-like pattern. For noting that the (0 0 3) reflection in Fig. 1a and the simplification, the snowflake-like HgS and CdS (0 0 2) reflection in Fig. 1b are relatively strong can be considered to possess six main trunks which Fig. 2. SEM images of as-prepared products: (a) and (b) HgS with reactant molar ratio of HgCl2/Tu ¼ 1:4 for 12 h at 120 1C. (c) CdS with reactant molar ratio of CdCl2/NH4CNS ¼ 1:3 for 12 h at 170 1C, EtOH/H2O ¼ 75%.