Synthesis of bismuth telluride nanostructures by refluxing method

Abstract

Bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) nano particles were prepared by refluxing method in different conditions such as varying concentration of KOH and reaction timings. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements have been performed for structural and phase formation studies. The nanoparticles are showing the same structure of bulk except broadening of peak confirmed by XRD. The reaction time and KOH concentration are the key parameters to control the morphology and size of the particles. As the concentration of KOH increases, the particle size decreases from 23 to 15 nm and with increasing reaction time, nanorod like structures (~100 nm length and ~ 20 nm diameter) are formed. © 2011 VBRI press.