SELF-ASSEMBLY OF CdSe NANOROD ARRAYS BY ELECTROPHORETIC DEPOSITION OF CdSe NANOPARTICLES

Abstract

The formation of arrays of CdSe nanorods and their fractal aggregates by a self-assembly of spherical nanoparticles of CdSe is achieved using electrophoretic deposition (EPD). Notably, neither templates nor complexating agents are used during the deposition. Also, deposits have not been subjected to any post-heat treatment. EPD turns out to be a low-cost, pollution-free, and a highly portable technique among all the other deposition techniques known. The size, crystallinity, composition, and shape of the nanoparticles as well as the deposits were analyzed using XRD, TEM, and EDAX. Mechanisms for different stages of deposition, and self-assembly is inferred by a detailed analysis of surface morphology of nanostructural deposits using HRSEM and AFM studies. Fractal nature of the deposits is quantified by computing fractal dimension of a typical portion of a deposited film.