This month’s Crystal Clear shows crystals which look remarkably like snowflakes!
FESEM image of dendritic PbTe nano-crystals
In fact this is an image of three-dimensional PbTe dendrites, taken using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The paper, published in Issue 6 of CrystEngComm, details the fabrication of these crystals in the presence of β-cyclodextrin.
Gang Chen et al. of the Harbin Institute of Technology have developed a facile synthesis to control the morphology of the nano-crystals. Lead telluride is a typical IV–VI semiconductor and controlling the size and shape of the material has initiated substantial interest. Nano-cubes, nano-octahedrons, nano-wires, nano-rods and hopper crystals have been synthesised as well as flower-like and dendritic structures.
These dendritic crystals have been successfully synthesized via a facile, rapid solvothermal process in the presence of β-cyclodextrin. The authors have characterised the products and propose a mechanism of formation for the crystals and the influencing parameters.
To read more about their developments you can download the article now, which is free to access for 4 weeks.
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Facile solvothermal synthesis and growth mechanism of flower-like PbTe dendrites assisted by cyclodextrin
Rencheng Jin, Gang Chen, Jian Pei, Chunshuang Yan, Xian Zou, Mingda Deng and Shuai Sun
CrystEngComm, 2012, 14, 2327-2332
DOI: 10.1039/C2CE06417K
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