Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of silver and antimony co-doped PbSe nanopowders

Silver and antimony co-doped PbSe (AgPb10SbSe12) nanopowders were hydrothermally synthesized at 160 °C, using selenium powder, lead nitrate, silver nitrate and antimony nitrate as starting materials, and NaBH4 as a reductant. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with X-ray energy-dispersed spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were respectively used for characterization of the nanopowders. The formation mechanism of the Ag and Sb co-doped PbSe nanopowders was proposed.