Effect of electron beam irradiation on electrodeposited nanostructured copper selenide thin films

Copper selenide nanorods fused at both ends with various diameters and lengths were obtained by irradiating electrodeposited thin films. The irradiation dose can be used to control the diameter of the electrodeposited nanorods to within the range of 70-100 nm. This paper reports the effect of high-energy (7 MeV) electron beam irradiation on the optical properties of CuSe thin films grown by conventional electrodeposition method on steel substrates. Upon irradiation the band gap energy increased from a value of 2.82 eV to 3.03 eV where as there is a drastic change in their morphology. The grain size increases with electron beam irradiation and material become poor crystalline. Similar results were observed in the X-ray diffraction studies, where peak intensity decreases with electron beam irradiation.