Stringing up the Pearls: Self-Assembly, Optical and Electronic Properties of CdSe− and Au−LiMo₃Se₃ Nanoparticle−Nanowire Composites

Abstract

Chevrel-type LiMo3Se3 nanowires dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide were decorated with 13 nm citrate ligated Au particles (water) and 6 nm trioctylphosphineoxide ligated CdSe particles (tetrahydrofuran) by combining the respective solutions at room temperature, followed by mild acidification with hydrochloric acid in the case of Au. The morphology of the formed nanostructured Au−LiMo3Se3 and CdSe−LiMo3Se3 aggregates depends on stoichiometry and reaction conditions. While the UV/vis spectra of the aggregates are largely the sum of the subspectra of the building blocks, the emission spectra of the CdSe−LiMo3Se3 material reveal quenching of CdSe based photoluminescence. The electrical conductance of 5 nm thick films obtained by drying solutions of the composites decreases with increasing temperature, which shows that the nanowires remain metallic after binding of the nanoparticles.