A dry method to synthesize dendritic Ag2Se nanostructures utilizing CdSe quantum dots and Ag thin films.

Dendritic Ag2Se nanostructures are synthesized in a dry environment by UV irradiating the hybrids composed of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) and silver (Ag). UV irradiation on CdSe QDs induces a photooxidation effect on the QD surface and leads to the formation of SeO2 components. Then SeO2 reacts with the Ag atoms in either Ag film or QD layer to produce the Ag2Se. The growth mechanism of Ag2Se dendrites on solid Ag films is explored and explained by a diffusion limited aggregation model in which the QD layer provides enough freedom for Ag2Se motion. Since the oxidation of the CdSe QDs is the critical step for the Ag2Se dendrites formation this dry chemical interaction between QDs and Ag film can be applied in the study of the QD surface chemical properties. With this dry synthesis method, the Ag2Se dendrites can also be facilely formed at the designed area on Ag substrates.