Chalcopyrite ternary CulnS2 semiconductor nanocry stals have been synthesized via a facile one-pot chemical approach by using oleylamine and oleic acid as solvents. The as-prepared CuInS2 nanocrystals have been characterized by instrumental analyses such as X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）/high-resolution TEM （HRTEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）, UV-vis absorption spectroscopy （UV-vis） and photoluminescence （PL） spectroscopy. The particle sizes of the CuInS2 nanocrystals could be tuned from 2 to 10 nm by simply varying reaction conditions. Oleylamine, which acted as both a reductant and an effective capping agent, plays an important role in the size-controlled synthesis of CulnS2 nanocrystals. Based on a series of comparative experiments under different reaction conditions, the probable formation mechanism of CulnS2 nanocrystals has been proposed. Furthermore, the UV-vis absorption and PL emission spectra of the chalcopyrite CulnS2 nanocrystals have been found to be adjustable in the range of 527-815 nm and 625-800 rim, respectively, indicating their potential application in photovoltaic devices.
