A novel ultrasonic-assisted solution-phase approach for the fabrication of tellurium bundles of nanowhiskers

An ultrasonic-assisted solution-phase approach to tellurium bundles of nanowhiskers has been successfully established. It is a convenient and efficient process for the formation of Te nanowhiskers and their simultaneous assembly into tellurium bundles without using any templates. It was found that the transformation from Te powder to Te nanowhiskers involved the reversible disproportionation of tellurium. Sonication played a critical role for the formation of the Tellurium bundles of nanowhiskers. The bandgap of the Te nanowhiskers was calculated to be about 3.8 eV based on the UV-visible spectrum. The simplicity and rapidity of the procedure, and the newly discovered uniform morphology of the products made this synthesis promising and potential for related future applications.