Synthesis of nanocrystalline ZnSe by mechanical alloying

Nanocrystalline & alpha;-ZnSe was synthesized by mechanical alloying after milling the blended elemental powder for just 30 min. XRD studies indicated that a homogeneous phase had formed after 1 h; no change was observed afterwards up to 10 h. The minimum crystallite size achieved was 9 nm. The lattice parameter of the powder milled for 10 h was a = 0.56578 nm. On annealing this powder for 1 h at 1000 & DEG;C, the lattice parameter increased to a = 0.56691 nm, suggesting that the lattice had contracted in the as-milled condition due to its nanocrystalline state, and that it reached the equilibrium value on annealing. SEM and EDS techniques confirmed the results of XRD studies. Our results indicate that a homogeneous & alpha;-ZnSe phase was obtained on milling and that the phase exhibited increased homogeneity range. These results are new and were not reported in any earlier investigations.

Automated summary

Nanocrystalline and α-ZnSe were synthesized by mechanical alloying. XRD studies showed a homogeneous phase formed after 1 hour with no further changes. The minimum crystallite size achieved was 9 nm. Annealing increased the lattice parameter, suggesting contraction in the as-milled condition and reaching equilibrium on annealing. SEM and EDS techniques confirmed the XRD results. These new findings demonstrate the formation of a homogeneous α-ZnSe phase during milling and an increased range of homogeneity.