Lanthanum telluride nanowires: formation, doping, and raman studies

Abstract

A new approach for the synthesis of freely dispersible one-dimensional (1D) lanthanum telluride nanowires (La₂Te₃ NWs) in the solution phase is reported. The process involves a reaction between tellurium nanowires (Te NWs) and lanthanum nitrate (La(NO₃)₃) at room-temperature. Te NWs act as templates for the formation of La₂Te₃ NWs. The aspect ratio of the as prepared La₂Te₃ NWs is the same as the parent Te NWs. Various microscopic and spectroscopic tools such as HRTEM, SEM, EDAX, XRD, XPS, Raman, UV-visible, and fluorescence were used for the characterization of the NWs. A new surface enhanced Raman active substrate was synthesized by doping silver in La₂Te₃ NWs. Surface enhanced Raman spectra were studied using crystal violet (CV) as the analyte. Raman features have been observed up to a concentration of 10^-8 M of CV. Different concentrations of Ag in Ag-doped La₂Te₃ NWs were investigated. The monodispersity, homogeneity, and Raman enhancement properties of the NWs, synthesized through a simple solution phase protocol, are expected to motivate further studies on this material.