Antimony Selenide

Antimony Selenide powder is a semiconductor material with black appearance, orthorhombic crystal structure, density of 5.81g/cm³, melting point of about 611°C. It consists of two elements, antimony (Sb) and selenium (Se), in the chemical formula of Sb₂Se₃ and it has a wide range of applications in the fields of solar cells, photodetectors, thermoelectricity, etc….

Properties of Sb₂Se₃

Appearance: Antimony Selenide is usually a black powder. The black appearance is one of its more obvious features, and this colour feature is related to its chemical composition and crystal structure.

Density: Density 5.81 g/cm³, the relatively high density gives it specific advantages in some applications, for example in the preparation of thin films or coatings, where the high density contributes to the stability and homogeneity of the material.

Melting point: With a melting point of approximately 611°C, it is a high melting point compound, which determines its stability and processing conditions in high temperature environments.

Chemical formula: Sb₂Se₃, composed of two elements, antimony (Sb) and selenium (Se), with a definite stoichiometric ratio.

Chemical stability: relatively stable in air, but easily oxidised by strong oxidising agents. This means that care needs to be taken to avoid contact with strong oxidising agents during storage, handling and use in order to maintain its chemical stability.

Semiconductor properties: it is a semiconductor material with special conductive properties at room temperature and generally low electrical conductivity, e.g. typically a conductivity of 5×10-⁷Ω-¹・cm-¹. This gives it a wide range of potential applications in the field of electronic devices, optoelectronic devices, etc. It can be used for the preparation of solar cells and photodetectors.

Crystal Structure Properties: The crystal is crystallised in an orthorhombic crystal structure. This crystal structure determines the anisotropy of its physical and chemical properties, i.e., its physical properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity may vary in different crystal orientations.

Applications

Photovoltaic field:

Solar cells: it is an important material for the preparation of thin film solar cells. It has a suitable forbidden band width and good light absorption, which can effectively absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. Compared with traditional thin-film solar cell materials such as cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), they are cheaper and less toxic, and are a potential replacement for traditional thin-film photovoltaic materials. Through different preparation methods, such as thermal evaporation and magnetron sputtering, Antimony Selenide powder can be made into thin films for use in the absorber layer of solar cells to improve the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of solar cells.

Optoelectronic field:

Infrared detector: using its semiconductor properties, has a better response to infrared light, can be used to manufacture infrared detectors. In the field of national defence, aerospace, communications and other important applications, can detect the infrared radiation emitted by the object, to achieve the monitoring and identification of the target.

Sensors: It can be used to prepare various sensors, such as optical sensors and temperature sensors. For example, light sensors based on Antimony Selenide can detect changes in the intensity of light at different wavelengths, and have application prospects in environmental monitoring, industrial automation and other fields.

Photodetectors: In photodetectors, Antimony Selenide powder can be used as active layer material to convert optical signals into electrical signals to achieve the detection and detection of light, which can be applied in the fields of optical communications, medical imaging, and so on.

Thermoelectric field: It has certain thermoelectric properties and can directly convert thermal energy into electrical energy. It has potential application value in the field of energy recovery and utilisation such as waste heat recovery system and temperature difference power generation. The thermoelectric conversion efficiency of Antimony Selenide can be improved by optimising the preparation process and structure of the material.

Chemical and catalytic field: It can be applied as catalysts in various chemical processes, such as playing a catalytic role in catalytic hydrogenation reactions, certain organic synthesis reactions, etc. It can reduce the activation energy of the reaction and improve the reaction rate and selectivity.

Scientific research: Due to its unique physical and chemical properties, Sb₂ is a hot research topic in the fields of materials science and solid state physics. Through the study of Antimony Selenide powder, researchers continue to explore its new properties and applications, providing theoretical support and technical reserves for the development of related fields.