Crystallization kinetics and electrical conductivity of AsSe9 glass on the addition of Cu

The effect of the addition of Cu to AsSe9 glass (AsSe9Cux with 0≤x≤0.1), prepared by quenching the melt, was studied using X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimeter, scanning electron microscopy and dc conductivity. Studies of the crystallization kinetics using the non-isothermal single scan technique shows that nuclei are already present in the as-quenched alloy and that the growth occurs in three dimensions. The addition of Cu increases the dc conductivity by four orders of magnitude (1.4×10−17–4.6×10−13) and decreases the activation energy of conduction (0.63–0.44 eV). The structure examination reveals that the annealed materials (at temperature 40°C for 72 h), consists of crystalline material of large grains (∼160 μm) embedded in less crystalline matrix. Furthermore, it shows that the increase in Cu content enhances the crystallization.