Surfactant-assisted growth of uniform nanorods of crystalline tellurium

Uniform tellurium single crystal nanorods with diameters of 14 nm and lengths of 300 nm were prepared through reduction of [TeS4](2-) by SO32- with use of a suitable surfactant, sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (NaDDBS). Te nanorods with various diameters can be prepared by carefully adjusting the concentration of NaDDBS or the initial concentration of TeS42-. The nucleation and growth processes of Te nanorods were interpreted by solid-solution-solid transformation and surfactant-assisted growth mechanism.