Thermodynamics of Binary and Ternary Copper-, Cadmium, and Indium-Containing Semiconducting Phases: An Electrochemical Study

Abstract

Optimum compositions of ion-selective membranes in quasi-binary systems CuCl-CdCl2, LiCl-CdCl2, and In2S3-InCl3 are selected by a method of coulometric titration in cells with solid electrolytes. Transport numbers for ions are close to unity for the optimum compositions; transport numbers for electrons are vanishingly small (\(\bar t_e\) ≺10−3 to 10−4); the electroconductivity is equal to ≈ 10−3 S cm−1 at 200°C; the diffusion coefficients for the current-producing component are on the order of 10−6 to 10−7 cm2 s−1. When using a solid electrolyte of the composition CuCl-CdCl2, which contains 30 mol % CdCl2, methods of emf and electroconduction reveal that the region of homogeneity of copper(I) selenide falls in the region of compositions Cu1.33Se-Cu2.67Se.