One-pot synthesis of PbSO4-sheathed PbS butterfly-like microstructures with high luminescence property

A facile solvothermal strategy has been developed to prepare PbSO4-sheathed PbS microstructures with butterfly-like shapes using Pb(NO3)2 and thioacetamide as the starting materials. X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy characterization results indicate that the as-prepared product is composed of PbS/PbSO4 core/shell microstructures. Interior PbS microcrystal, with a layer of polycrystalline PbSO4 shell on its surface, grow along eight {1 1 1} crystalline directions. A possible reaction and growth mechanism of the butterfly-like PbSO4/PbS microstructures has been discussed. Optical property investigation shows that the PbSO4-sheathed PbS microstructures have an intense luminescence in cyan region.