Surfactant Templated Assembly of Cubic Mesostructured Semiconductors Based on [Sn₂Se₆]^4- and Pt²⁺ in Single-Crystal Form

Mesostructured non-oxidic materials with cubic Ia-3d symmetry were prepared by linking [Sn₂Se₆]^4- clusters with Pt²⁺ in the presence of surfactant molecules. The use of long chain pyridinium-based surfactants (octadecyl- and eicosadecyl) afforded materials with exceptionally high cubic pore order and single-crystal particle morphology. By contrast trimethylammonium-based surfactants produced cubic mesostructured solids with inferior overall quality. We have also synthesized materials with significantly lower surfactant content by increasing the Pt ²⁺:[Sn₂Se₆]^4- molar ratio, while maintaining the cubic pore symmetry. All materials are semiconductors with energy band-gap in the range 0.9<E_g<1.8eV.