Single-step synthesis of silver sulfide nanocrystals in arsenic trisulfide

Silver sulfide nanocrystals and chalcogenide glasses (ChGs) are two distinct classes of semiconductor materials that have been exploited for new infrared technologies. Each one exhibits particular optoelectronic phenomena, which could be encompassed in a hybrid material. However, the integration of uniformly distributed crystalline phases within an amorphous matrix is not always an easy task. In this paper, we report a single step method to produce Ag2S nanocrystals (NCs) in arsenic trisulfide (As2S3) solution. The preparation is carried out at room temperature, using As2S3, AgCl and propylamine resulting in highly crystalline Ag2S nanoparticles in solution. These solutions are spin- coated on glass and silicon substrates to produce As2S3/Ag2S metamaterials for optoelectronics. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America