Synthesis of nanocomposite gold-semiconductor materials by seed-growth method

Gold-semiconductor nanocomposite hybrid materials were synthesized by applying the seed-growth approach. Citrate stabilized gold nanoparticles were prepared by the reduction of HAuCl4 with borohydride and used as seeds. The structural and morphological features of semiconductor materials i.e. CdS, CuS, NiS, and PbS in the presence of Au NP were examined with the help of UV–Visible spectroscopy, phase contrast microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction measurements. The experimental results revealed that a network of semiconductor-Au NP nanocomposite material is formed in each case.