Superionic conductor-mediated growth of ternary ZnCdS nanorods over a wide composition range

Composition regulation of semiconductors can engineer their bandgaps and hence tune their properties. Herein, we report the first synthesis of ternary Zn_xCd_1-xS semiconductor nanorods by superionic conductor (Ag₂S)-mediated growth with [(C₄H₉)₂NCS₂]₂M (M = Zn, Cd) as single-source precursors. The compositions of the Zn_xCd_1-xS nanorods are conveniently tuned over a wide range by adjusting the molar ratio of the corresponding precursors, leading to tunable bandgaps and hence the progressive evolution of the light absorption and photoluminescence spectra. The nanorods present well-distributed size and length, which are controlled by the uniform Ag₂S nanoparticles and the fixed amount of the precursors. The results suggest the great potential of superionic conductor-mediated growth in composition regulation and bandgap engineering of chalcogenide nanowires/nanorods.