Formation of Ag2Se nanotubes and dendrite-like structures from UV irradiation of a CSe2/Ag colloidal solution

Ag2Se nanotubes have been successfully synthesized by UV photodissociation of adsorbed CSe2 on the surface of Ag nanowires under ambient conditions. Transmission electron microscopy was used to trace the growth of hollow interiors, allowing a detail study of the Kirkendall effect in 1-dimensional nanosystems. Voids were observed to grow from both ends of the nanowires along the longitudinal axis and ultimately merged to form hollow nanotubes. This phenomenon is attributed to the crystallographic selective adsorption of poly(vinylpyrolidone) on Ag nanowire templates. In addition, we observed the formation of dendrites on aging of the reaction mixture and explained its growth based on a diffusion-limited aggregation model.