Fabrication of Se/C Coaxial Nanocables through a Novel Solution Process

Se/C nanocables were first obtained through the reduction of Na2SeO3 with glucose in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) under hydrothermal conditions. In the process, glucose acts as a reducing agent and carbon source, and the final morphology of the product was determined by the CTAB concentration. The products are characterized in detail by multiform techniques:  X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the obtained products are coaxial nanocables with lengths of 2−6 μm, about 300−500 nm in diameter, and a surrounding sheath about 20−30 nm in thickness. It is of great importance and wide application that the obtained Se/C coaxial nanocables could be tailored freely by irradiation by an electron beam of transmission electron microscopy.