Effect of Antioxidants on Stability of Aqueous Solutions of Selenurea and on Properties of Lead Selenide Films Obtained with These Antioxidants

Spectrophotometric method was used to study the kinetics of the process in which aqueous solutions of selenurea of various compositions are oxidized. Significant differences between the stabilities of selenurea solutions were revealed in relation to the selenurea concentration and also to the acidity, or alkalinity of a medium. It was shown that the stability of selenurea solutions is affected by additives of various antioxidants: sodium sulfite Na₂SO₃, ascorbic acid C₆H₈O₆, hydroxylamine chloride NH₂OH·HCl, hydrazine hydrate N₂H₄·H₂O, and tin chloride SnCl₂·2H₂O. It was found that using a 1 : 1 mixture of antioxidants Na₂SO₃ and C₆H₈O₆ substantially raises their antioxidant activity and stabilizes the aqueous solutions of selenurea during up to five days. A hydro-chemical precipitation in the acetate—ethylenediamine reaction system in the presence of the antioxidants under study was used to obtain lead selenide films of stoichiometric composition with thicknesses of 230?670 nm. With the Na₂SO₃ + C₆H₈O₆, Na₂SO₃, C₆H₈O₆, and SnCl₂ antioxidants used to stabilize selenurea solutions, a tendency is observed toward a decrease in the lattice constants of PbSe films from 6.1531 ± 0.0003 to 6.1367 ± 0.0002 Å, an increase in the share of nanosize particles, and rise in the PbSe energy gap width from 0.78 to 1.0 e V.