Fig. 1
Morphology of hybrids and alignment of PEDOT:PSS at the inorganic interface (a, b) False-color scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of (a) PEDOT:PSS-Te and (b) PEDOT:PSS-Cu1.75Te films illustrate the overall morphology of the hybrid films – inorganic nanowires in a PEDOT:PSS matrix. The green color shows the surface nanowires and blue illustrates the 3D plane underneath, where the PEDOT:PSS polymer matrix is transparent (and hence invisible) in the SEM. (c, d) Representative high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) images of (c) straight Te domains and (d) kinked Cu1.75Te alloy domains confirm the identity and crystallinity of these two phases. The insets show selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns consistent with the identified crystal structures. (e, f) MD simulations elucidate the polymer morphology and alignment at the organic-inorganic interface. Here, the final polymer structures are depicted after simulated annealing of five chains of EDOT18 and SS36 on (e) Te and (f) Cu1.75Te surfaces, both accompanied by respective atomic concentration profiles. The polymer concentration profiles are tracked using the atomic concentration of S in either PEDOT or PSS. There is a high concentration of S atoms in PEDOT observed at 3–5 Å from the nanowire surfaces, suggestive of highly ordered and aligned PEDOT chains at the organic-inorganic interface. Similar structures and concentration profiles were observed for both Te nanowires (NW) and Cu1.75Te heteronanowires (Supplementary Figures 1-2, Supplementary Movies 1–5), however, though alignment occurs, self-assembly of chains is reduced on the kinked Cu1.75Te surface, unlike on the Te surface (Supplementary Figure 3, Supplementary Movies 6-7)
