Pyrite CuSe2 is a superconducting compound with Tc = 2.4 K and this material shows weak ferromagnetism at temperatures below 31 K. Herein, we report the first successful synthesis of the Cr-doped CuSe2 and a unique nanoclustering of Cr-doped CuSe2 nanocubes formed thought the heat-up method in which metal precursors, Se powder, and octadecylamine have been used. The degradation mechanism includes the doping of Cr (III) ions in the crystal structure of pyrite CuSe2 and the formation of Cu1-xCrxSe2 (X = 0.1-0.5) following by nanoclustring of the nanocubes. The morphological evolution of the initial nanocubes as a function of reaction temperature was studied and correlated with the concentration of the doped chromium. The synthesized nanoparticles have been characterized by XRD TEM, HRTEM, HAADF-STEM, EDS-STEM, and XPS. The predominant phase formed at the temperature range of 250-300 oC was pyrite CuSe2 doped by Cr (III). During the cation exchange mechanism, Cr (III) ions partially occupied the octahedral positions of Cu (II) ions via cation exchange. The reaction of CuSe2 and Cr (III) following the reduction of Cu (II) to Cu (I) results in the formation of Cu1-xCrxSe2. The nanoclustering of the initial nanocubes became more predominant by increasing the reaction temperature and followed by the formation of nanoneedles.

Cr-doping induced nanoclustering of pyrite CuSe2 nanocubes

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.