Sol–gel silica glasses with nanoparticles of copper selenide: synthesis, optics and structure

Abstract

The silica glasses with copper selenide nanoparticles were fabricated by the sol–gel technique. The samples were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and optical absorption. The composition of nanoparticles is close to Cu2Se stoichiometry and can be varied under tuning of the preparation steps. These glasses exhibit the new features in visible and IR ranges.