Antimony Selenide Clusters Generated Via Laser Ablation. Laser Desorption Ionization (LDI)
                       Quadrupole Ion Trap Time Of Flight Mass spectrometry

                                            Fei Huang^1

 ^1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, A14/326-Kamenice 753/5, 625 00
                                       Brno, Czech Republic

Antimony forms several selenides. The structure of Sb[2]Se[3] has been determined. Recently,
polycyclic polycations [Sb[10]Se[10]]^2+, [Sb[7]Se[8]Br[2]]^3+ and [Sb[13]Se[16]Br[2]]^5+,
Ba[2]Sb[2]Se[5,] and Ba[6]Sb[7]Se[16 ]compounds and a huge Sb[12]Se[20]^4- zintl anion have been
prepared and characterized. Antimony-selenium glasses are important members of the chalcogenide
range of glasses, especially Ge-As(Te)-Sb-Se. Ge-Sb-Se moldable compounds are used in infrared
optics [2-4].

In this work, the binary system Sb-Se was studied via laser ablation generating Sb[m]Se[n]
clusters, in both positive and negative ion modes, using antimony-selenium powdered mixtures in
various ratios as precursors. Laser ablation generation with quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight
mass spectrometry (QIT-TOFMS) has already been shown to be an important and powerful methodology
for studying the formation of clusters; while the composition of Sb[m]Se[n] clusters was determined
via computer simulation of the isotopic envelopes. The results of this work were recently
published.

Concluding, Laser ablation synthesis (LAS) with quadrupole ion trap time-of-flight mass
spectrometry (QIT-TOFMS) can be used as a kind of efficient synthesizer to generate Sb[m]Se[n]
clusters. The results obtained contribute to a deeper understanding of the preparation and
structure of SbmSen materials, glasses, or various phase-change products.

References:

[1] Huang, F., Prokeš, L., Havel, J.: Laser Ablation Generation of Antimony Selenide Clusters.
Laser Desorption Ionization (LDI) Quadrupole Ion Trap Time Of Flight Mass Spectrometry. DOI:
10.1007/s13361-018-2119-3y (2018)

[2] Ko, J.B., Myung, T.-S.: Structural and thermal properties of Ge-Sb-Se chalcogenide glasses for
an application in infrared optical product design and manufacture. J. Ceram. Process. Res. 12,
132-134 (2011)

[3] Choi, J.H., Cha, D.-H., Kim, J.-H., Kim, H.-J.: Development of thermally stable and moldable
chalcogenide glass for flexible infrared lenses. J. Mater. Res. 31, 1674-1680 (2016)

[4] Parnell, H., Butterworth, J.H., Sakr, H., Tang, Z., Furniss, D., Benson, T.M., Scotchford, C.,
Seddon, A.B.: Ge-Sb-Se glass fiber-optics for in-vivo mid-infrared optical biopsy. Proc. SPIE.
9703, 970309 (2016)


Acknowledgement:

This work was funded with support from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Projects No.
GA18-03823S). This research has been also supported by CEPLANT, the project R&D centre for low-cost
plasma and nanotechnology surface modification, and CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0086 funding by the European
Regional Development Fund and the Project CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0058 of the Ministry of Education,
Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic.