Ionothermal Syntheses of Nano- and Microstructured Ternary Copper–Indium–Chalcogenides

Ternary compounds of copper indium
selenide nano- and microsized materials were prepared through colloidal
synthesis using an indium­(III) selenide precursor and copper­(I) chloride
via a microwave-assisted ionothermal route. The indium­(III) selenide
precursor used in the reaction was formed in situ from a diphenyl
diselenide precursor and chloroindate­(III) ionic liquids (ILs), also
via a microwave-assisted ionothermal route. The crystal structures
of three intermediates, namely, CuCl2(OMe)2­(H2O))­{Cu­(PhSeO2)2}n, [CuCl­(Se2Ph2)2]n, and [C8mim]3­{CuICl2CuIIOCl8}n, were determined after formation through a ionothermal
procedure utilizing metal-containing imidazolium ILs and a selenium
precursor with conventional heating. Herein, we compare the use of
microwave irradiation over conventional heating with different ILs
on the stoichiometry of the resulting products. The influence
of the reaction temperature, reaction time, order of addition of reagents,
and variation of ILs, which were characterized using PXRD, SEM, and
EDX, on the final products was investigated.