Controlled synthesis of PbTe nanorods and nanotubes

A hydrothermal route has been developed to synthesize lead telluride (PbTe) nanostructures through the reaction between Pb(CH3COO)2 and Na2TeO3. When the surfactant poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) was introduced into the solution, uniform PbTe nanorods with a diameter of about 30 nm could be prepared, while absent of PVP, PbTe nanotubes could be synthesized. Furthermore, some interesting Y-, V-, crisscross-shaped PbTe nanotubes were reported for the first time. The resulting materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM). Two different mechanisms are identified to explain the formation of the nanorods and nanotubes herein. A surfactant-assisted oriental attachment mechanism is explained to describe the formation of PbTe nanorods, whereas, we deduce PbTe nanotubes follow a self-generated template route.