Synthesis of Sb2Se3 and Bi2Se3 Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids at Low Temperatures and Solid State Structure of [C4C1Im]3[BiCl6]

Crystalline Sb2Se3 nanoparticles were prepared by reaction of SbCl3 with (Et3Si)2Se in the presence of oleylamine (OA) in the ionic liquid [C4C1Im]Cl, whereas the reaction of (Et3Si)2Se with [C4C1Im]3[BiCl6] (1), which was obtained from the reaction of BiCl3 with [C4C1Im]Cl and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, yielded Bi-rich Bi2Se3 nanoparticles. In contrast, the reaction of the reactive IL [C4C1Im]3[Bi3I12] with (Et3Si)2Se in the presence of oleylamine in [C4C1Im]I gave phase-pure Bi2Se3 nanoparticles. The chemical composition of the nanoparticles was investigated by EDX, while possible surface contaminations were studied by XPS and IR spectroscopy. The morphology of the nanoparticles was studied by SEM and TEM.