The crystal structures of Cu1•8Se, Cu3Se2, α- and γCuSe, CuSe2, and CuSe2II

Abstract

The crystal structures of a number of copper selenides have been re-examined using X-ray powder diffraction intensity data. |F0| values for Cu1•8Se at room temperature (a = 5.765 Å) are satisfied by a model based on space group Fm3m with 4 Se atoms per unit cell on the fcc sites, 5.2 Cu atoms on the tetrahedral sites, and 2.0 Cu atoms on the trigonal sites in the Se sublattice. Cu3Se2 is tetragonal, [Formula: see text] a = 6.402, c = 4.279 Å, with Cu(1) in 2(a), Cu(2) in 4(e) with x = 0.147 ± 5, z = 0.781 ± 9, and Se in 4(e) with x = 0.272 ± 3, z = 0.264 ± 7. CuSe2 has the orthorhombic C18 marcasite structure, Pnnm, a = 5.005, b = 6.182, c = 3.740 Å, with Cu in 2(a), and Se in 4(g) with x = 0.184 ± 1, y = 0.385 ± 1. CuSe2II has the cubic C2 pyrite structure, Pa3, a = 6.116 Å, with Cu in 4(a), and Se in 8(c) with x = 0.3891 ± 5.Neither αCuSe nor γCuSe have the CuS covellite structure.These results are discussed in some detail.