Syntheses and Characterizations of CuInZnSe Chalcopyrite Nanoparticles.

CuInZnSe powders with various atomic percentages (x = 0, 0.05, 0.11, 0.16 and 0.21) were synthesized with the solvothermal method using metal chlorides and ethylendiamine as sources of precursors and a solvent, respectively. The experiment aims to investigate the effect of atomic percentages of Zn compounds on the structural and optical properties of CuInZnSe in order to improve future technological applications based on this material. The powders' chalcopyrite phases were identified by X-ray diffraction. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis revealed the presence of Cu, In, Zn and Se with the expected atomic ratio of Zn/(In + Zn). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the powders have large-scale desert rose-like structures. The nanopowders' optical study by UV-visible spectrophotometry showed that the CuInZnSe energy gap values increase with the molar fraction of Zn. A change from 1.15 to 1.4 eV was observed.