Ag2S-catalyzed growth of quaternary AgInZn7S9 semiconductor nanowires in solution

A facile and inexpensive solution-based synthesis of quaternary AgInZn7S9 nanowires was developed. Structural and compositional characterizations were carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The as-synthesized AgInZn7S9 nanowires have high quality and moderate band structure. The growth mechanism is also investigated. It is confirmed that Ag2S nanoparticles derived from the decomposition of precursor Ag(dedc) act as a catalyst during the growth of quaternary nanowires. The catalysts in this process were found to be in a quasi-liquid state and only the surface region of the catalysts melted, which is different from the liquid state in the typical Solution–Liquid–Solid growth process.