Green synthesis of tunable Cu(In1−xGax)Se2 nanoparticles using non-organic solvents

Layla Al Juhaiman; Ludmila Scoles; David Kingston; Bussaraporn Patarachao; Dashan Wang; Farid Bensebaa

doi:10.1039/C001813A

Green synthesis of tunable Cu(In_1−xGa_x)Se₂nanoparticles using non-organic solvents

Layla Al Juhaiman,^ab Ludmila Scoles,^a David Kingston,^a Bussaraporn Patarachao,^a Dashan Wang^a and Farid Bensebaa*^a

* Corresponding authors

^a Institute for Chemical Process and Environmental Technology National Research Council of Canada, 1200 Montreal Rd, Ottawa, ON, Canada
E-mail: farid.bensebaa@nrc.ca
Tel: +1-(613) 991-6347

^b Chemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, P.O.Box. 22452, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

A green synthesis route of Cu(In_1−xGa_x)Se₂ nanoparticles with variable Ga content is described in this report for the first time. Only water and a minimum amount of energy input are used. Heating appropriate amounts of Cu, In, Ga and Se dispersed in an aqueous solution containing mercapto-acetic acid in a microwave oven gives rise to small and uniform nanoparticles. These new materials have been characterized to confirm composition, geometrical and structural properties. Transmission electron microcopy (TEM) confirmed size distribution around 4 nm. XRD confirmed the chalcopyrite structure with an average crystallite size of 3 nm. Atomic concentration and oxidation states of the different elements have been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). UV-visible absorption characterization confirmed the tunable optical properties of these materials. The proposed synthesis is scalable for commercial production with minimal environmental impact.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/C001813A

Article type

Paper

Submitted

28 Jan 2010

Accepted

29 Apr 2010

First published

27 May 2010

Download Citation

Green Chem., 2010,12, 1248-1252

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Green synthesis of tunable Cu(In_1−xGa_x)Se₂ nanoparticles using non-organic solvents

L. Al Juhaiman, L. Scoles, D. Kingston, B. Patarachao, D. Wang and F. Bensebaa, Green Chem., 2010, 12, 1248 DOI: 10.1039/C001813A

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