12-15 July 2011
Saint George Hotel
Africa/Johannesburg timezone

Synthesis and characterization of Water soluble Covellite Copper Sulphide Quantum Dots

13 Jul 2011, 11:00
15m
Acro1

Acro1

Oral Presentation Track A - Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science CMPMS2

Speaker

Ms Swikisani Nelwamondo (University of Johannesburg)

Description

Covellite copper monosulphide (CuS) is a representative I–VI chalcogenide semiconductor with the unique photoelectricity transformation characteristic. Due to quantum confinement effect, CuS nanoparticles exhibit optical and electrical properties as compared to the bulk materials. CuS is an indirect semiconductor with a bandgap around 1.7 eV. At high temperature CuS exhibits fast ion conduction and shows metal-like electrical conductivity and is an important semiconductor because of its excellent optical and electronic functionality. Colloidal method was used to develop CuS nanoparticles from copper acetate monohydrate and Thioacetamide in water and methanol using alanine as a stabilizing agent at pH 10 at different low temperatures. Water soluble CuS quantum dots in the form of rods and spherical shaped with an average diameter of 3-10 nm has been successfully obtained. The as-obtained CuS nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Infrared spectra (FT-IR), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV) and Photoluminescence (PL). Effect of temperature was investigated for the stability of nanoparticles

Consider for a student <br> &nbsp; award (Yes / No)? yes
Level (Hons, MSc, <br> &nbsp; PhD, other)? Msc
Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)? yes

Primary author

Ms Swikisani Nelwamondo (University of Johannesburg)

Co-authors

Prof. Makwena Moloto (Vaal university of technology) Dr Nosipho Moloto (Wits University) Prof. Rui Krause (University of Johannesburg)

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