PbS/PbSe structures with core–shell type morphology synthesized from PbS nanocrystals

Abstract
Colloidal PbS/PbSe nanostructures with core-shell type morphology have been synthesized for the first time using a simple chemical procedure where template PbS nanocrystals (NCs) were treated with Se solution in tributylphosphine at elevated temperature. The Se-coated PbS NCs were structurally and optically characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) analysis, absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Synthesized PbS/PbSe structures can be of particular importance in photovoltaic applications where fabrication of heterostructures with compositional modulation on the nanometer scale is essential.