Photoinduced cathodic deposition of CdTe nanoparticles on polycrystalline gold substrate

A combination of photocathodic stripping and precipitation was used to prepare CdTe nanoparticles (size range: 30–60 nm) that were immobilized on a polycrystalline Au substrate. Thus visible light irradiation of a Te modified Au surface generated Te2− species in situ followed by interfacial reaction with added Cd2+ ions in 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. The resultant CdTe compound semiconductor deposited as nanosized particles uniformly dispersed on the Au substrate surface. This approach to CdTe nanoparticle deposition was monitored by a combination of electrochemical methods (voltammetry, chronoamperometry) and quartz crystal microgravimetry in the “dark” and under illumination. The synthesized CdTe nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analyses and laser Raman spectroscopy.