Room Temperature Redox Reaction To Prepare AgCuSe Ternary Nanorods

AgCuSe nanorods were prepared at room temperature by a redox reaction. The as-prepared product was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.X-ray powder diffraction shows that the as-prepared product is the tetragonal phase of AgCuSe. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the sample consists of nanorods with a diameter varying from 5 nm to 20 nm and a length varying from 200 nm to 600 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the purity of the sample is high. The formation mechanism of AgCuSe and the growth mechanism of AgCuSe nanorods were discussed.Thermodynamic calulations show that the final product in the synthetic system is pure AgCuSe. The solvent ethylenediamine did not only acts a didentate ligand to form relatively state Ag + and Cu + complexes, but also dissolved Se and enhanced the reactivity of Se. It played an important role in controlling the nucleation and growth of AgCuSe nanorods.