Selective cation incorporation into copper sulfide based nanoheterostructures

Heterogeneous copper sulfide based nanostructures have attracted intense attention based on their potential to combine the plasmonic properties of copper-deficient copper sulfides with properties of other semiconductors and metals. In general, copper sulfides are versatile platforms for production of other materials by cation incorporation and exchange processes. However, the outcomes of subsequent cation exchange (CE) or incorporation processes involving nanoheterostructure (NH) templates have not been explored. In this work, we incorporate indium and tin into Cu_1.81S-ZnS NHs. We demonstrate that the outcomes of cation incorporation are strongly influenced by heterocation identity and valence and by the presence of a Cu-extracting agent. The selectivity of cation incorporation depends upon both the cation itself and the heterodomains in which CE reactions take place. The final nanocrystals (NCs) emerge in many forms including homogeneous NCs, heterodimers, core@shell NHs and NHs with three different domains. This selective cation incorporation not only facilitates the preparation of previously unavailable metal sulfide NHs but also provides insight into mechanisms of CE reactions.