Synthesis and formation mechanism of CuInSe₂nanowires by one-step self-catalysed evaporation growth

Abstract

High-quality CuInSe 2 (CISe) nanowires have been prepared by a one-step evaporation process. The presented growth process results in a composite material consisting of CISe NWs on top of a polycrystalline CISe base layer. The nanowires were extensively characterized by transmission electron microscopy, confirming their composition and atomic-scale crystal structure with a very low number of structural defects. From these analyses, we infer that the growth axis is along the [111] direction. The polycrystalline base layer has a tetragonal chalcopyrite structure and is optically active as confirmed by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence (PL) analysis, respectively. Potential applications of this composite CISe NW/base-layer material for photovoltaic energy conversion are supported by the reduced reflectivity of the material and its strong PL intensity. The presented growth method is based on elemental evaporation under vacuum conditions, which makes the process compatible with the fabrication of photovoltaic devices.

Effect of sulfonating agent and ligand chemistry on structural and optical properties of CuSbS2particles prepared by heat-up method

“…Pursuit after new suitable, non-toxic, and abundant semiconductor materials 1-4 for different applications is a continuous challenge in materials science. In this quest ternary and quaternary semiconductors like CuSbS2, CuInS2 5,6 , CuInSe2 7 , CuInGaS2 8 and Cu2ZnSnS4 9 have gained increasing interest. Among these CuSbS2 is particularly interesting, but less explored material.…”