A dry method to synthesize dendritic Ag 2 Se nanostructures utilizing CdSe quantum dots and Ag thin films

Dendritic Ag 2 Se nanostructures are synthesized in a dry environment by UV irradiating the hybrids composed of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) and silver (Ag). UV irradiation on CdSe QDs induces a photooxidation effect on the QD surface and leads to the formation of SeO 2 components. Then SeO 2 reacts with the Ag atoms in either Ag film or QD layer to produce the Ag 2 Se. The growth mechanism of Ag 2 Se dendrites on solid Ag films is explored and explained by a diffusion limited aggregation model in which the QD layer provides enough freedom for Ag 2 Se motion. Since the oxidation of the CdSe QDs is the critical step for the Ag 2 Se dendrites formation this dry chemical interaction between QDs and Ag film can be applied in the study of the QD surface chemical properties. With this dry synthesis method, the Ag 2 Se dendrites can also be facilely formed at the designed area on Ag substrates.

Lian Hu, Bingpo Zhang, Tianning Xu, Ruifeng Li and Huizhen Wu

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