Gallium and Indium Chalcogenides

Indium monoselenide, InSe, is a semiconductor with a weakly allowed direct band gap transition at 1.3 eV and an indirect at 1.2 eV, having a strongly anisotropic 

In a subsequent work [182], it was shown that the photoelectrochemical performance of InSe can be considerably improved by means of selective (photo)electrochemical etching. Interestingly, whereas the cleavage vdW plane showed little improvement, the photocurrent in the face parallel to the c-axis was doubled. Note that, in contrast to InSe crystals cleaved in the plane perpendicular to the c-axis that are almost defect free, the crystals cut in the plane parallel to the c-axis contain a high density of defects on their surface which leads to a high rate of electron-hole recombinations and inferior quantum efficiency. The asymmetry in the role of electrons and holes, as manifested, e.g., in the fact that surface holes carry out the selective corrosion of the semiconductor surface in both cleavage orientations, was discussed. 

The (photo)electrochemical behavior of p-InSe single-crystal vdW surface was studied in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1.0 M NaOH solutions, in relation to the effect of surface steps on the crystal [183]. The pH-potential diagram was constructed, in order to examine the thermodynamic stability of the InSe crystals (Fig. 5.12). The mechanism of photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution in 0.5 M H2SO4 and the effect of Pt modification were discussed. A several hundred mV anodic shift of the photocurrent onset potential was observed by depositing Pt on the semiconductor electrode. 

Polycrystalline thin Aims of gallium-containing CdSe, i.e., (CdGa)Se of variable composition, have been synthesized by electrochemical co-deposition and characterized by photovoltammetry, photocurrent spectroscopy, and electrochemical 

Recendy, ID quantum dots of gallium selenide with average diameter 8-10 nm, connected in the form of chains of average length 50-60 nm, were synthesized on rro substrates by cathodic electrodeposition from acidic aqueous solutions of gallium(III) nitrate and selenious acid [186], The structural analysis from XRD patterns revealed the formation of Ga2Se3/GaSe composition. The films were found to be photoactive in aqueous sodium thiosulfate solution and showed p-type conductivity. 

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