Controlled solvothermal synthesis and structural characterization of antimony telluride nanoforks

High-quality Sb₂Te₃ nanoforks have been first successfully prepared by a simple wet chemical method under solvothermal conditions. Here, ethylene glycol has been used not only as a solvent, but also as a reducing agent. The nitric acid used has been proven to play an important role in the formation of such a unique shape. The shape and size of Sb2Te3 nanoforks can be well controlled by adjusting the experiment parameters. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to characterize the as-synthesized samples.