Investigation on the electrodeposition of Pt-(Bi,Sb)2Te3 nanocomposite as film and wires

In this work we have investigated the electrochemical processes by which Pt nanoparticles were included in (Bi,Sb)2Te3 films and submicrometer wires. Solutions containing ions of Bi3+, HTeO2+ and Sb3+ as well as Pt nanoparticles or [PtCl6]2− ions were used for this study. For comparison, a solution with the same composition in Bi3+, HTeO2+ and Sb3+ ions was used to study the electrodeposition process of (Bi,Sb)2Te3 films and submicrometer wires. Linear and cyclic voltammetry was employed in experiments to find the influences of addition to electrodeposition bath of Pt nanoparticles or [PtCl6]2− ions on deposition process of (Bi,Sb)2Te3 film. Pt-(Bi,Sb)2Te3 nanocomposites has been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) to determine structural, morphological and compositional properties. Two mechanisms for Pt nanoparticles embedding in (Bi,Sb)2Te3 films and wires have been proposed.