Controlled synthesis of NiS nanoparticle/CdS nanowire heterostructures via solution route and their optical properties

In the present study, we have successfully synthesized the novel heterostructure of NiS nanoparticle (NP)/CdS nanowire (NW) through solution approach. The first step, CdS nanowires were synthesized by a convenient solvothermal route. Then, NiS nanoparticles were grown on the surface of CdS nanowires in a chemical solution of NiCl2 center dot 6H(2)O and anhydrous ethanol at 200 degrees C. The new catalyst-assisted growth mechanism of the NiS NP/CdS NW heterostructure has been tentatively discussed on the basis of experimental results. A detailed study of the effect of experimental parameters, such as reaction time, reaction temperature, and reaction solvent are also studied. The as-prepared products are characterized by field-emission scan electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and their optical properties are measured by Raman spectra and PL spectra. Furthermore, using CdS nanowires and NiS NP/CdS NW heterostructure as examples, our study suggests that this general method can be employed for construction of other semiconductor heterostructures with novel properties. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.