A comparative study exploring the ligand binding capabilities of quarternary chalcopyrite copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGSe) nanocrystals

Abstract Recent study investigates employment of differently-capped chalcopyrite Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGSe) wherein; binding abilities of three different capping ligands have been studied. Oleylamine (OLA), Oleic acid (OA) and the combination of oleylamine-oleic acid (OLA+OA) have been chosen as basic ligands in addition to dodecanethiol as a source for attaining Se dissolution that is otherwise difficult during utilization of pristine ligands. The overall combination has also led to the formation of well-stabilized nanocrystals. The work also envisages an approach towards low-cost, environmentally-friendly processing of active absorber CIGSe layers by various parametric variations; emphasizing primarily on the adoption of green route method for overcoming the toxicity constraints in the preparation of CIGSe nanocrystals.