Growth and characterization of chalcopyrite CuInSe2 nanoparticles

Abstract

This work presents growth and characterization of copper indium diselenide (CuInSe 2 ) nanoparticles with controllable size synthesized by a simple solvothermal process. Salts of copper(I), indium(III) and selenium powder have been used as starting precursors and ethylenediamine is used as a solvent. Nanoparticles synthesized at different temperatures have been analyzed using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Particle size has been calculated by dynamic light scattering. Surface morphology has also been studied by scanning electron microscopy. Optical properties of CuInSe 2 provide band gap in the range of 0.94-1.05 eV, which are nearly close to optimal intensity for solar radiation suitable for solar cell devices.

Synthesis and Physical Properties of Solar MaterialCu$lt;inf$gt;1-x$lt;/inf$gt;Li$lt;inf$gt;x$lt;/inf$gt;InSe$lt;inf$gt;2$lt;/inf$gt;

“…Although its optical band gap (1.04 eV) is lower than the optimal gap of ~1.5 eV [1] , the corresponding photovoltaic cells can reach the highest efficiency of 20.3% [2] . CuInSe 2 and its derivatives have been extensively studied recently [3] , however, the previous works were mainly focused on thin films and nanostructures to enhance the photovoltaic behaviors [4][5][6] . On the other hand, the physical properties of the bulk materials are crucial to explore the intrinsic features, and only few studies concentrated on the physical properties of the bulk materials [7] .…”