Colloidal synthesis and thermoelectric properties of Cu2SnSe3nanocrystals

Abstract

Copper-based selenides are attracting increasing interest due to their outstanding optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties. Herein a novel colloidal synthetic route to prepare Cu₂SnSe₃ nanocrystals with controlled size, shape and composition is presented. The high yield of the developed procedure allowed its up-scaling to the production of grams of colloidal Cu₂SnSe₃ nanocrystals. These nanocrystals were used as building blocks for the production of Cu₂SnSe₃ bulk nanostructured materials by spark plasma sintering. The thermoelectric properties of the prepared nanocrystalline Cu₂SnSe₃ pellets were characterized in the temperature range from 300 to 720 K. The obtained results show the bottom-up production of nanocrystalline materials from solution-processed nanocrystals to be a potentially advantageous alternative to conventional methods of production of efficient thermoelectric materials.