Abstract: Bi₂Te₃ nanorods were successfully prepared through chemical reduction at low temperature. In this process, Bi(NO₃)₃·5H₂O and TeO₂ were used as reactants, NaBH4 was used as reductant, and Brij56 (HO(CH₂CH₂O)₁₀C₁₆H₃₃) was used as regulator of crystal growth. EDTA was added into the solution to prevent the hydrolyzation of reactants at about pH 7.0. As-synthesized sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and high-resolution transmission electron microscope. Results show that Bi₂Te₃ nanorods are single crystalline, 30nm in diameter and 400nm in length. The temperature and the concentration of the surfactant Brij56 have obvious effects on the morphologies and sizes of synthesized sample. The growth mechanism of Bi₂Te₃ nanorods is also discussed.

Key words: chemical reduction, Bi₂Te₃, single crystalline, nanorod