Glassy and crystalline sodium ternary chalcogenide materials in the Na–As–Se system: Synthesis, properties and relation to crystallization

Sodium chalcogenide compounds, glassy and crystalline, are promising materials for a number of potential applications in non-linear optics (NLO), photovoltaic, and energy conversion and storage. This work deals with the study of the newly synthesized glasses in the Na2Se–As2Se3 chalcogenide system as well as the corresponding ternary crystals, NaAsSe2 and Na3AsSe3. We examine the glass-forming domain in the pseudo-binary system using melt-quenching and mechanical milling techniques. We also analyse the macroscopic and electrical properties of the glasses in comparison with their crystalline counterparts, and the annealed glasses yielding glassy/crystalline alloys.