A two-phase synthesis of metal sulfide-gold nanocomposites

The integration of chemically distinct materials within a single nanostructure is an effective way to increase their functionality for given applications. Herein, we report a two-phase method with remarkable simplicity and universality for the synthesis of nanocomposites consisting of metal sulfide semiconductors and gold (Au) metal. The metal sulfide nanocrystals dispersed in toluene are firstly mixed with an aqueous solution of Au ion precursors, e.g. gold(III) chloride (HAuCl4), and then upon vigorous agitation, the Au ions contacted with semiconductor nanocrystals at the interfaces between organic and aqueous phases are reduced into Au atoms, which are subsequently nucleate and grow on the surface of metal sulfide nanocrystals, resulting in the formation of composite nanostructures with semiconductor and Au at different domains. This strategy reasonably makes use of the catalytic property of semiconductor nanocrystals for the reduction of Au ion precursors at room temperature, and from engineering aspect, its facile feature might have provided a promising method with ease of control for the production of metal sulfide-Au nanocomposites. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved