Plasma-assisted synthesis and treatment of chalcopyrite nanoparticles

We synthesized chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) nanoparticles by methods involving laser ablation and electrical discharge in water. The nanoparticles obtained were exposed to an oxygen/argon plasma of a microwave discharge. The synthesized material was studied by photometry, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive x-ray elemental analysis (EDX), IR spectroscopy, and atomic force electron microscopy (AFM). We have established that the nanoparticles are morphologically stable relative to exposure to plasma fluxes of power ≤1 kW, and can be used as a model system to study processes of interaction between a plasma and minerals. (authors)