Nanoscale electrocrystallisation of Sb and the compound semiconductor AlSb from an ionic liquid

Abstract

Aluminium antimonide nanoclusters with an apparent band gap energy of 0.92 +/- 0.2 eV have been electrodeposited from the neutral ionic melt AlCl3-1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride {AlCl3-[C4mim]+Cl-} at room temperature and have been characterized in-situ by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS).