Microwave-assisted synthesis of Sb2Se3 submicron rods, compared with those of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3

Orthorhombic Sb2Se3 submicron rods were prepared from antimony sodium tartrate and Se powder via a microwave-assisted chemical method. The products were characterized by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques. The reaction mechanism and the morphology of the product were studied in detail in comparison with those in the syntheses of Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3. The synthesis of Sb2Se3 was based on the polyol reducing process and microwaves played an important role. The morphologies of the compounds were mainly determined by their inherent anisotropic crystal structures. The optical properties of as-prepared Sb2Se3 were also characterized by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and the bandgap (Eg) can be derived to be 1.16 eV, which is suitable for applications in photovoltaic conversion.