Mechanism study of morphological evolution of Cu2FeSnSe4 nanoparticles synthesized with solvothermal method

Cu2FeSnSe4 (CFTSe) nanoparticles including nanoflowers and nanosheets were synthesized by a simple solvothermal method. The structures, morphologies, chemical compositions and optical properties of as-synthesized CFTSe nanoparticles were studied. CFTSe nanoflowers mainly formed in the early stage of the reaction. By prolonging the reaction times, most CFTSe nanoflowers turned into CFTSe nanosheets. And the thicknesses of CFTSe nanosheets increased with increasing the reaction temperatures or decreasing the amount of the solvent. The bandgaps of CFTSe nanoparticles were about 1.19–1.25 eV determined by the UV–Vis absorption spectra, which indicated their possible photovoltaic applications.