On the structural and thermophysical study of Pb-doped Se-Te-In nanochalcogenide alloys

Pb additive nanochalcogenide materials are becoming well-known materials in modern optoelectronics. In this paper, multicomponent Se-Te-In-Pb nanochalcogenide alloys are prepared using melt-quenching technique. The physical and submicron structural features of investigated system are reported and discussed. Characteristic peaks in x-ray spectra signify nanorange of each sample under investigation validated by FESEM and HRTEM. Influence of Pb content on examined composition has been deliberated with respect to their physical characterization namely average coordination number (), mean bond energy (), cross-linking density (X), lone-pair electrons (L), fraction of floppy modes (f), constraints (Nc), electronegativity (χ), cohesive energy (CE), glass transition temperature (Tg), and heat of atomization (Hs). It is realized that addition of Pb content, enhanced Nc, X, and . Whereas, , L, f, χ, CE, Tg, and Hs decrease with Pb addition. Cohesive energy is analyzed through chemical-bond approach. Tg is estimated by Tichy-Ticha and Lankhorst approaches and are found in consistent with experimental results. The band gap of investigated system has been calculated theoretically by Shimakawa’s relation and deduced results are analyzed through cohesive energy, electronegativity, and average single-bond energy. Also the compositional dependence of experimentally derived optical band gap has been analyzed and discussed.