Dependence of the Structural, Electrical and Optical Properties of PbSe Nanomaterial Prepared by Hydrothermal Method on the Polyethylene Glycol Content

Abstract

PbSe was prepared by hydrothermal method using 20, 60, 80, 100 mg contents of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a surfactant. PbSe films with a thickness of about 120 nm and constant rate of evaporation were prepared on glass and quartz substrates using thermal evaporation technique for studying their electrical and optical properties, respectively. The prepared films were identified by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive X-rays. The variations of resistivity, carrier concentration and carrier mobility of the films with temperature and PEG content were investigated. The optical properties of the films were studied by using spectrophotometric measurements of the transmittance and reflectance in the wavelength range 500–2500 nm. The optical band gap of the films was calculated and it is found to increase with increasing PEG content.