A Simple Approach for the Formation of Oxides, Sulfides, and Oxide-Sulfide Hybrid Nanostructures

The synthesis of various types of metal oxide and metal sulfide nanostructures through the thermal decomposition of single-source molecular precursors is presented. By varying the reaction conditions, such as solvent, precursor concentration, temperature, and time, we were able to control the shape of Fe3O4 (rectangles and belt-like structures), CoO nanofibers, and SnO2 nanowires. Two sulfides are also presented: CdS filling a vertically aligned ZnO nanowire array (to create a hybrid structure) and SnS wires. The formation of various phases of iron oxide and cobalt oxide is also shown.