Ligand-Assisted Colloidal Synthesis of Alkali Metal-Based Ternary Chalcogenide: Nanostructuring and Phase Control in Na-Cu-S System.

The development of sustainable and tunable materials is crucial for advancing modern technologies. We present a controlled synthesis of colloidal Na-Cu-S nanostructures. To overcome the reactivity difference between Na and Cu precursors toward chalcogens in a colloidal synthesis and to achieve metastable phase formation, we designed a single-source precursor for Cu and S.

Functional Alkali Metal-Based Ternary Chalcogenides: Design, Properties, and Opportunities.

The search for novel materials has recently brought research attention to alkali metal-based chalcogenides (ABZ) as a new class of semiconducting inorganic materials. Various theoretical and computational studies have highlighted many compositions of this class as ideal functional materials for application in energy conversion and storage devices. This Perspective discusses the expansive compositional landscape of ABZ compositions that inherently gives a wide spectrum of properties with great potential for application.