Chemical synthesis, structure characterization, and optical properties of hollow PbS(x)-solid Au heterodimer nanostructures.

Heterodimer nanostructures have attracted extensive attention, owing to an increasing degree of complexity, functionality, and then importance. So far, all the reported ones are built from solid nanoparticles. Herein, nearly monodisperse heterodimer nanostructures are constructed by hollow PbS(x) and solid Au domains simultaneously through a mild reaction between PbS nanocrystals and the gold species in the presence of dodecylamine. Control experiments clearly reveal the underlying formation mechanism of the hollow PbS(x)-solid Au heterodimers. The Au(III) species in the solution, lead to the etching of PbS nanocrystals and the Au(I) species facilitate the control of the number of gold domains per nanoparticle. Dodecylamine molecules not only work as a stabilizer in the reaction, but also act as a reducing agent that could greatly affect the morphology of the product. The optical properties of the heterodimers are investigated based on UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. This novel heterodimer nanostructure pushes the development of complex nanocrystal-based architectures forward, and also provides many opportunities for potential applications.