Construction of Unconventional Hexapod-like Tellurium Nanostructure with Morphology-Dependent Photoluminescence Property

Unconventional hexapod-like tellurium nanostructures have been successfully constructed through an easy solution-based approach by recrystallizing Te powder in a mixture of ethylenediamine and hydrazine hydrate at 110 degrees C for 72 h. The hexapod-like nanostructure is composed of six cross-linked branches with length of about 1 mu m. Each branch consists of two perpendicularly intersected nanoribbons with a constant thickness of 12 nm and tapered width from similar to 200 nm at root to less than 20 nm at tip. Prominent photoluminescence emission centered at around 428 nm in blue-violet region under excitation wavelength of 365 nm has been found to be closely associated with the unique morphology of the product. A possible solid-solution-solid mechanism has been proposed on the basis of experimental facts to elucidate the formation this unconventional nanostructure. The influence of reaction temperature and solution property on the morphology and structure of the final product has also been discussed.