A straightforward and effective strategy for controllable synthesis of Ag/Ag2S and Ag/CdS heterojunction nanowires

Ag/Ag2S heterojunction nanowires (HJNWs) have been successfully fabricated through one-pot solution-phase method, which were transferred into Ag/CdS HJNWs by cation exchange. The synthesis involved a template-less, non-seed, and one-pot solution-phase process to high-quality Ag/Ag2S HJNWs. The sizes, positions, and spacing distances between the Ag2S or CdS NPs of the growing Ag2S and CdS NPs in the Ag/Ag2S and Ag/CdS HJNWs could be finely tailored by reaction temperatures and PVP concentrations. By varying reaction temperature, the sizes and positions (tip or surface) of the growing Ag2S and CdS NPs in the Ag/Ag2S and Ag/CdS HJNWs could be effectively controlled while PVP concentration could tailor the sizes and spacing distances between the Ag2S or CdS NPs of the growing Ag2S and CdS NPs in the Ag/Ag2S and Ag/CdS HJNWs. We also proposed a primary experimental model to illustrate the growth mechanism of the Ag/Ag2S and Ag/CdS HJNWs.