Modular synthesis of a dual metal-dual semiconductor nano-heterostructure.
Reported is the design and modular synthesis of a dual metal-dual semiconductor heterostructure with control over the dimensions and placement of its individual components. Analogous to molecular synthesis, colloidal synthesis is now evolving into a series of sequential synthetic procedures with separately optimized steps. We detail the challenges and parameters that must be considered when assembling such a multicomponent nanoparticle, and their solutions. This multicomponent nanosystem, Ru-CdSe@CdS-Pt, was designed to achieve charge carrier separation and directional transfer across different interfaces toward two separate redox catalysts. This heterostructure may potentially serve as a nanometric closed circuit photoelectrochemical cell.
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA).|Material Sciences Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA).|Present address: Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000 (Israel).
Lilac
L
Amirav
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA).|Material Sciences Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA).
Fadekemi
F
Oba
Material Sciences Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA).
Shaul
S
Aloni
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA). alivis@berkeley.edu.|Material Sciences Division; Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA). alivis@berkeley.edu.|Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute, Berkeley, CA 94720 (USA). alivis@berkeley.edu.
A Paul
AP
Alivisatos
nanoparticles; quantum dots; semiconductors; synthetic methods; water splitting