Tri-wing bismuth telluride nanoribbons with quasi-periodic rough surfaces

Unique bismuth telluride nanostructures, tri-wing nanoribbons, are controllably synthesized on a large scale by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The length of the nanoribbon is up to tens of micrometres, and the wing of the nanoribbon is very thin with an average thickness of about 20 nm. During the synthesis process, tri-wing Te nanoribbons are first formed and act as the template, highly crystalline tri-wing Bi(2)Te(3) nanoribbons are then obtained through a surface-directing diffusion process. An elaborate TEM study reveals a quasi-periodic rough surface with sequential (1 (1) over bar5) and ((1) over bar 05) planes along the Bi(2)Te(3) nanoribbon, which is ascribed to the coherent growth of Bi(2)Te(3) crystals during the surface-directing diffusion process. The successful synthesis of Bi(2)Te(3) nanoribbons with rough surfaces opens up the opportunities of developing high performance nanoscale thermoelectrics as well as studying the surface state of Bi(2)Te(3) nanoribbons as potential topological insulators.