Morphology change of galvanically displaced one-dimensional tellurium nanostructures via controlling the microstructure of sacrificial Ni thin films

One-dimensional Tellurium (Te) nanostructures with controlled dimensions and morphologies have been synthesized by the galvanic displacement reaction (GDR) of electrodeposited nickel (Ni) thin films. The effects of sacrificial Ni microstructure and HTeO2+ ion concentration on the resulting Te nanostructures were systematically investigated. The preferred crystal orientation of sacrificial Ni thin films was varied to synthesize Te nanostructures with various levels of distinctiveness. By adjusting the concentration of HTeO2+ ions in the galvanic displacement electrolyte, well-aligned one-dimensional (1-D) Te nanostructures such as conical and hexagonal pillars were prepared where the diameter ranged from ∼70 to ∼900 nm and the length ranged from 1 to 3.6 μm.