Structural studies of the layered SnSe produced by mechanical alloying and melting technique

The Sn-Se based materials were synthetized by mechanical alloying and simple melting techniques. By mechanical alloying technique we observed a very fast nucleation of the SnSe orthorrombic layered compound with a remarkable structural stability. On the other hand, the milling atmosphere showed a strong influence on the final result. By simple melting of the elemental Se and Sn powders we obtained a very oriented SnSe layered structures. The microstructural details were evaluated by Stephens's microstrain model, differential scanning calorimetry and thermic treatment.