SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MULTICOMPONENT ANISOTROPIC SEMICONDUCTOR NANOSTRUCTURES WITH UNIQUE PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES

Abstract

Recent developments have enabled the synthesis of multicomponent semiconductor heterostructures, such as metal- or metal oxide-deposited semiconductor nanostructures. These heteronanostructures can exhibit unique physicochemical properties and functionalities which are not achievable in their individual components. In the first part of my thesis, the ability to design and synthesize such complex semiconductor nanostructures is explored. In particular, the fabrication of Pd-Au alloyed tipped and Au core-FexOy hollow shell tipped semiconductors have been demonstrated, which may offer possibly improved catalytic and magnetic functionality. In addition, Pt decorated CdSe-seeded CdS tetrapods were introduced, which were found to be facilitated via the surprising interfacial layer of PtS. This unique architecture was utilized to perform cation exchange reactions, resulting in Pt decorated Ag2S and PdS tetrapods. In the second part, via template-assisted approaches, silica-encapsulated anisotropic hollow iron oxide and solid gold tetrapod nanostructures were obtained, resulting in unique shape-dependent magnetic and plasmonic properties respectively.