Chemical synthesis of Cu2Se nanoparticles at room temperature

Abstract A simple and rapid method has been developed to synthesize cuprous selenide (Cu 2 Se) nanoparticles by the reaction of selenium nanoparticles sol with copper sulfate solution containing ascorbic acid at room temperature. Cu 2 Se nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The results indicated that Cu 2 Se nanoparticles were cubic crystal structure and spherical with the diameter about 75 nm. The ultraviolet–visible absorption spectrum (UV–vis) and cyclic voltammetry of Cu 2 Se nanoparticles were also investigated. The optical band gap energy of Cu 2 Se nanoparticles was 1.94 eV. On the basis of a series of experiments and characterizations, the formation mechanism of Cu 2 Se nanoparticles was discussed.