Template-directed Synthesis of Ag₂S-Fe₂O₃ Heterostructures

Abstract

Controlled synthesis of optical-magnetic nanostructures has attracted more and more interest due to their enhanced performance for simultaneous optical applications and magnetic manipulating. Herein, we demonstrated the synthesis of nanocomposites containing silver sulfide and iron oxide materials by the sulfidation of silver-iron oxide nano-templates with elemental sulfur as sulfur resource. In the presence of oleylamine, the sulfidation of silver-iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles followed a "coalescence-fracture-ripening" process just like the reported sulfidation of silver nanoparticles. Meanwhile, while the sulfidation products of silver-iron oxide heteromers retained similar nanostructures as templates, indicating an in-situ sulfidation of silver. These investigations will help us to understand the sulfidation and growth process of silver-containing nanomaterials and control their syntheses for potential applications.