Shape Tuning of Type II CdTe-CdSe Colloidal Nanocrystal Heterostructures through Seeded Growth

Type II CdTe-CdSe colloidal nanocrystal heterostructures in a variety of shapes (fat rods, Y-shape rods, and tetrapods) were prepared using a seeded growth method based solely on different sized CdTe seeds. The tailoring of the shape of nanocrystal heterostructures provides a way to modify interfacial charge-transfer and radiative recombination in the near-infrared region. In particular, this advance sets the scene for studying shape-dependent charge-transfer reactions on the nanoscale.