Facile microwave-assisted synthesis of Klockmannite CuSe nanosheets and their exceptional electrical properties

Klockmannite copper selenide nanosheets (CuSe NSs) are synthesized by a facile microwave-assisted method and fully characterized. The nanosheets have smooth surface and hexagonal shape. The lateral size is 200-500 nm × 400-800 nm and the thickness is 55 ± 20 nm. The current-voltage characteristics of CuSe NS films show unique Ohmic and high-conducting behaviors, comparable to the thermally-deposited gold electrode. The high electrical conductivity of CuSe NSs implies their promising applications in printed electronics and nanodevices. Moreover, the local electrical variation is observed, for the first time, within an individual CuSe NS at low bias voltages (0.1 ~ 3 V) by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). This is ascribed to the quantum size effect of NS and the presence of Schottky barrier. In addition, the influence of the molar ratio of Cu(2+)/SeO2, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the growth of CuSe NSs is explored. The template effect of oleylamine and the intrinsic crystal nature of CuSe NS are proposed to account for the growth of hexagonal CuSe NSs.