Anisotropy of chemical transformation from In2Se3 to CuInSe2 nanowires through solid state reaction

In(2)Se(3) nanowires synthesized by the VLS technique are transformed by solid-state reaction with copper into high-quality single-crystalline CuInSe(2) nanowires. The process is studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy. The transformation temperature exhibits a surprising anisotropy, with In(2)Se(3) nanowires grown along their [0001] direction transforming at a surprisingly low temperature of 225 degrees C, while nanowires in a [11(2)0] orientation require a much higher temperature of 585 degrees C. These results offer a route to the synthesis of CuInSe(2) nanowires at a relatively low temperature as well as insight into the details of a transformation commonly used in the fabrication of thin-film solar cells.