Design and fabrication of rocketlike tetrapodal CdS nanorods by seed-epitaxial metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Single-crystalline rocketlike tetrapodal CdS nanorods were synthesized via a one-step seed-epitaxial MOCVD approach by thermal decomposition of Cd(S2CNEt2)(2) powders. This bottom-up method uses silver particles to initiate and guide the preferential orientation of the axial nanorods, whereas the epitaxial growth of wurtzite-structured branches occurs on the cubic CdSe seeds. This controlled seed-epitaxial method has potential as a general means of forming complex branching structures and may also offer opportunities for applications as building blocks for optoelectronic devices.