Facile Synthesis of Chalcopyrite Nanostructures and Its Electrocatalytic Properties

Nanostructures of inorganic magnetic and semiconductor materials have been the subject of intense research since 1990ʼs. The primary motivation for this increased activity is the size dependent properties of these materials. The I-III-VI2 compounds (chalcopyrite) exhibit strongly size dependent properties that may find wide variety of applications including catalyst, optical parametric oscillation, second harmonic generation, up conversion, down conversion, detectors, LEDs, solar cells, various optoelectronic and sensors [1-3]. In the present study, chalcopyrite ternary semiconductor CuAlS2 (CAS) nanocrystals were synthesized via facile method. The sol-gel process was used for synthesize of CuAlS2 nanoparticles. Characterizations of the obtained powders were carried out by means of X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Then, a modified carbon paste electrode was prepared using CuAlS2 nanoparticles (CASN/CPE). The electrochemical behaviour of the nano-structured modified electrode was investigated by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry techniques using [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- redox couple. Using the techniques the electrocatalytic activity of the CASN/CPE was confirmed. The results showed that CuAlS2 nanocrystals accelerate electronic transmission rate between the modified electrode and [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- redox couple. Therefore, CuAlS2 nanoparticles are proper candidate for electrochemical detection of various analytes.