Synthesis and structural charaterization of the alloys (CuInTe2)1-x (Cu3-MT-Te4) x (MT: Nb, Ta with x = 1/10, 1/5, 1/3, 1/2 y 2/3)

Abstract

In this work we reported the characterization of the (CuInTe₂)_1-x (Cu₃-B^V- Te₄)_x (B^V: Nb, Ta y x = 1/10, 1/5, 1/3, 1/2 y 2/3, alloys system using the techniques Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X- Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). Alloys system was prepared by fusion and annealing direct fulfilling the rule of Grimm-Sommerfeld. The work is based on the thermograms of the CuInTe₂ and Cu₃NbTe₄ compounds that were previously measured and incorporated in the phase diagrams for the system (CuInTe₂)_1-x (Cu₃-MT-Te₄) at x = 0 and x = 1; with the intention of obtaining the best information of the phases from x = 0 to x = 1. In these phase diagrams of the alloy family, we obtained in the concentration ranges, the following phases: in 0 < x < 0,1, the phase type chalcopyrite, for 0 < x <  0,9 two phases, sulvanita and chalcopyrite and for 0,9 < x < 1, the sulvanita phase. The solubility of the sulvanita Cu₃NbTe₄ in the chalcopyrite is of the approximately 10 % like solubility of the CuInTe2 in the sulvanita. This little solubility did impossible to increase to the breach of energy for the family chalcopyrite.