Chalcopyrite ternary CuInS2 semiconductor nanocrystals 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 CuInS2 nanocrystals.Based on a series of comparative experiments under different reaction conditions,the probable formation mechanism of CuInS2 nanocrystals has been proposed.Furthermore,the UV-vis absorption and PL emission spectra of the chalcopyrite CuInS2 nanocrystals have been found to be adjustable in the range of 527-815 nm and 625-800 nm,respectively,indicating their potential application in photovoltaic devices.
