Room temperature synthesis of single-crystal Te nanorods from Na2TeO4

Single-crystalline tellurium nanorods were synthesized through the reduction of Na2TeO4 by hydrazine monohydrate, in the absence of surfactants, in an aqueous ammonia solution at room temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) were used to characterize the composition and morphology of the products. The concentration of the OH− ion has a significant influence on the morphology of the products and is found to be responsible for tailoring the crystal growth dynamically: the concentration of Te blocking in the solution is reduced via increasing the concentration of the OH− ion, and subsequently the nucleation rate of Te is suppressed and Te nanorods gradually grow because of the inherently anisotropic structure of Te. New generation tellurium atoms add to the surface of the particles during the long period of reaction.