Nanostructures of Metal Tellurides (PbTe, CdTe, CoTe2, Bi2Te3, and Cu7Te4) with Various Morphologies: A General Solvothermal Synthesis and Optical Properties

Abstract A general surfactant‐assisted solvothermal route was developed for the synthesis of a variety of metal telluride nanostructures. In this method, a corresponding metal salt,Na 2 TeO 3 , ascorbic acid, and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) were used as reagents and a mixture of ethylene glycol (EG) and water was used as the solvent. The synthesis of nanostructures including PbTe, CdTe, CoTe 2 , Bi 2 Te 3 , and Cu 7 Te 4 with varied morphologies was demonstrated by using this general approach. The mechanisms of formation of thesetelluride nanostructures are discussed. The optical properties including UV/Vis absorption of Cu 7 Te 4 and CdTe and photoluminescence of CoTe 2 nanostructures are investigated.