Direct growth of tellurium nanorod arrays on Pt/FTO/glass through a surfactant-assisted chemical reduction

Uniform tellurium nanorod arrays (TNA) have been successfully deposited directly on Pt/FTO (F-doped SnO(2))/glass substrate through a facile surfactant-assisted approach, which involved chemical reduction of TeO(3)(2-) ions by hydrazine hydrate. The whole synthesis process is highly repeatable and performed simply by immersing the Pt/FTO/glass in the solution for a certain time. During the growth of TNA, Pt catalyzed the reduction of TeO(3)(2-) ions by hydrazine hydrate and Te nanoparticles were deposited firmly on the substrate at first. Then, under the regulation of the surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB), the deposited Te grew into nanorod arrays and adhered firmly to the substrate. Similar Te nanorod arrays could also grow on a Pd substrate which has the same catalytic performance as that of Pt. The as-synthesized TNA could be used as a good template to synthesize platinum-and gold-coated nanorods through convenient galvanic replacement. As a demonstration of potential application, the gold/tellurium nanorods showed uniform surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) using rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) as the analyte. This approach provides a simple route for the growth of standing Te nanorods on a substrate, which may be used for the synthesis of other standing one-dimensional materials through a similar mechanism.