Preparation and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol-selenide nanocomposites at room temperature

A series of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-selenide nanocomposites, including PVA-Ag2Se, PVA-Cu2-xSe, PVA-ZnSe and PVA-PbSe, were successfully prepared at room temperature and ambient pressure via a simple one-step solution growth technique. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) were used to characterize the final products. The TEM results showed that the Ag2Se particles were well dispersed in the polymer matrix and uniform in shape, while those of Cu2-xSe, ZnSe and PbSe showed a certain level of aggregation. A possible mechanism for the growth of selenide nanocrystals is discussed.