Facile preparation of Ag2S nanoparticles with broad photoelectric response region

In this paper, Ag 2 S nanoparticles (NPs) are prepared by a simple one-step hydrothermal synthesis. Various particle diameters of Ag 2 S NPs are obtained under different concentrations of surfactants. A mechanism for the nucleation and growth of Ag 2 S NPs under the influence of surfactants is proposed. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy are used to characterize the obtained product. In order to investigate the photoelectric properties of the Ag 2 S NPs, surface photovoltage (SPV) technique was studied. The Ag 2 S NPs perform intense photoelectric response in the range of NIR and visible region, which could be applied in photoelectric detector.