Synthesis and characterization of silica–lead sulfide core–shell nanospheres for applications in optoelectronic devices

Abstract

Nanoscale miniaturization of chalcogenides semiconductors, such as lead sul de (galena), can generate interesting quantum con nement effects in the eld of optoelectronic applications. At this work, a process in order to obtain SiO 2 nanospheres coated with Galena, as the denominated core-shell system, is developed, this process it is based in Stöber's method, where only the magnetic stirring was replaced by an ultrasonic bath, to achieve well rounded, and highly stable silica nanoparticles with diameters average of 70 nm. The PbS shell cover presents a thickness of 10 nm around.Nanostructures chemical composition, morphology and optical properties were determined by Transmission Electron Microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy, respectively. As a result, the nano shells correspond to cubic PbS, presenting some interplanar distances of 2.95 Å and 3.41 Å; this nano shell also shown a toward blue optical spectrum shift and a remarkable increase in its band gap, 3.75 eV, was obtained, compared with the PbS bulk value. The chemical composition it is studied by energy scattering spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyzes.