PbSe films by ion exchange of synthetic plumbonacrite layers immersed in a selenium ionic solution

• PbSe semiconductor films obtained by ionic exchange process from plumbonacrite layers.
• Synthetic plumbonacrite layers obtained by chemical bath deposition.
• Structural and morphological transition from plumbonacrite to PbSe.
• Composite plumbonacrite-PbSe materials.

Plumbonacrite is a lead compound with chemical formula Pb10(CO3)6(OH)6O, where several groups can be substituted by ion exchange in mild conditions. Plumbonacrite layers can be deposited by means of the chemical bath deposition technique. In this work it is studied the structural and morphological evolution of a plumbonacrite layer as a function of the immersion time in an aqueous solution containing Se−2 ions. The 1.39 μm thick plumbonacrite layer was chemically deposited on a glass substrate and immersed in an aqueous solution with Se−2 ions for 10, 20, 30 and 50 min. The as grown plumbonacrite layer as well as the immersed ones were analyzed by X-rays Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy measurements. The results show that the plumbonacrite layer is gradually converted to PbSe one by ion exchange process, where Se−2 ions substitute the groups of plumbonacrite.