Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Shuttle-shaped Single-Crystalline Te Nanotubes Decorated with Spherical Particles

Shuttle-shaped single-crystalline Te nanotubes decorated with spherical particles on outer surface have been successfully synthesized in reaction media of polyol solvent through a simple and rapid microwave-assisted approach. The length, outer diameter and wall thickness of as-synthesized Te nanotubes were roughly measured at 5-15 μm, 300-500 nm and 100-150 nm, respectively. The crystal growth process of Te nanotubes was investigated and discussed as the key issue of this present study, and it was found that the scrollinggrowth- based mechanism would best account for the formation process of the shuttle-shaped Te nanotubes. Photoluminance (PL) measurements displayed that the as-synthesized Te nanotubes can not only give strong violet blue emission but also strong red emission, and such unique optical property could be beneficial for nano-optical applications.