Copper selenide crystallites synthesized using the hot-injection process

Nearly dispersed CuSe and Cu2-xSe crystals were successfully prepared using copper and selenium-triethylene glycol (TEG) solution thermal decomposition using triethylenetetramine (TETA) as the reducing agent and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the capping agent at 230 degrees C for 1 h. The crystalline structure, electronic and copper selenide particles optical characterization were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV-visible absorbance spectra. The TETA addition effects on crystal phase development and morphology were investigated. The obtained copper selenides are CuSe and Cu2-xSe single phase for the samples added with TETA of 0.7 and 2.2 ml, respectively. The measured energy gaps for CuSe and Cu2-xSe are 2.0 eV and 2.17 eV, respectively. These synthesized compounds provide promising candidates for solar cell applications. (C) 2016 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.