Preparation of Copper Selenide Platelets

Preparation of Copper Selenide Platelets

Copper selenide (CuxSe) particles were prepared by heating copper carbonate and selenous acid in diethylene glycol in the presence of various dispersing agents. The impact of reaction conditions on the structural and morphological properties of the precipitated particles were assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microscopy. Although all additives promoted anisotropic growth, it was found that polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was particularly effective in generating dispersed high aspect ratio CuxSe platelets. The optimum reaction conditions for the formation of hexagonal copper selenide were 190°C and a Cu: Se molar ratio of 1 to 1.2.