Biomolecule-assisted synthesis of Ag3SbS3 nanorods

A novel biomolecule-assisted method has been successfully developed to prepare pyrargyrite (Ag3SbS3) nanorods via the reactions between AgNO3 and SbCl3 with l-cystine in ethylene glycol at 200 °C for 15 h, in which l-cystine was used as the sulfide source and complexing agent. The crystal phase, morphology, grain size, and chemical composition of the as-prepared products were characterized in detail by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Results revealed that the as-synthesized Ag3SbS3 nanorods had diameters range from 150 to 200 nm and lengths up to several micrometers. The experimental results showed that the reaction time played an important role in the formation of Ag3SbS3 nanocrystalline. A possible formation mechanism for Ag3SbS3 nanorods was discussed.