Room-temperature synthesis and seebeck effect of lead chalcogenide nanocubes

The pure face-centered cubic lead chalcogenide nanocubes have been synthesized in hydrazine hydrate saturated alkaline solution under the conditions of room temperature, ambient pressure, and a short growth time, with advantages of being simple, high yield and cost effective. The size of PbS, PbSe and PbTe nanocubes is 200–300 nm, 50–120 nm, and 30–60 nm, respectively. It was found that the growth steps of lead chalcogenides (especially PbTe) nanostructures could be controlled in the strong hydrazine hydrate alkaline environment. Thermoelectric properties of the films made from the PbS, PbSe and PbTe nanocubes have been investigated comparatively for the first time. The results indicate that the room-temperature Seebeck coefficient value of the PbS, PbSe and PbTe nanocube films is up to 154.4 μV/K, 199.8 μV/K and 451.1 μV/K, respectively.

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