| Abstract |
A single-source approach using mild temperatures was applied to prepare morphological well-defined and coupled TiO2/metal-sulfide nanocomposites. Metal N-alkyldithiocarbamates were used as the precursors to the metal-sulfide nanophases and, in particular, Ag2S nanostructures were investigated in more detail. These were observed as nanoislands at the surface of TiO2 (anatase) particles, which were used as substrates. To explain the formation of these nanocomposite particulates, a tentative mechanism has been proposed which involves the controlled release of sulfide ions from an intermediate coordination compound. Because the growth of the metal sulfide can be controlled at the surface of a photoactive substrate, we anticipate the potential of this synthetic method to chemical design reasonable amounts of semiconductor-sensitized TiO2, such as Ag2S/TiO2 nanocomposites. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH \& Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008) |
