Mechanically Alloyed: Synthesis of Nanostructured Intermetallic Compound of Zinc Selenide

In a high-energy SPEX 8000 shaker mill, the process of mechanical alloying (MA) was carried out on blended elemental Se and Zn powder blends. The resulting mixtures corresponded to the stoichiometric composition of Se-50 at. percent Zn. The generated phases' phase evolution was computed. In the early phases of milling, a supersaturated solid solution of Zn in Se generated. As the milling process progressed, the solid solubility grew, and after milling the powders for ten hours, it had achieved its maximum value of around 50 at. percent zinc. Milling the powders for 30 minutes resulted in the beginning of the formation of the zinc selenide phase, while milling the powders for 10 hours resulted in the formation of a homogenous zinc selenide phase. The thermal stability of zinc selenide was achieved by annealing this sample for one hour at a temperature of 1000 degrees C. The findings demonstrate that nanocrystalline zinc selenide with high thermal stability may be produced by MA of pure Se and Zn powders, followed by annealing.