Thicket-like PbTe microstructures built up of plentiful nanoflakes: a facile preparation, characterization and influencing factors

Abstract

In this paper, we report a facile electrochemical deposition route for preparation of thicket-like lead telluride (PbTe) microstructures built up of plentiful nanoflakes. PbTe was potentiostatically electrodeposited on Cu substrates from an aqueous system containing Pb(NO₃)₂ and Na₂TeO₃ in the presence of proper amounts of disodium salt of ethylendiaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA·2Na) and tartaric acid. The phase and morphology of the as-prepared product were characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), (high resolution) transmission electron microscopy (HR/TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Some factors influencing the formation of thicket-like PbTe microstructures were systematically investigated, including the deposition time and potential, the molar ratio of EDTA/tartaric acid, the original amounts and sources of Pb²⁺ ions. Experiments showed that the molar ratio of EDTA/tartaric acid, the deposition time and potential could markedly affect the morphology of the final product.