Laser ablation synthesis of phosphorus sulphides, selenides and ternary P p S q Se r clusters from various precursors

Laser ablation (LA) synthesis with simultaneous time‐of‐flight mass spectrometric (TOF MS) analysis was used to examine the formation and composition of ternary P p S q Se r clusters. Clusters formed by LA of various precursors are singular, binary and ternary. Formation of negative or positive singly charged P p , S q and Se r clusters, where P   p +( p   =  1–249), P   p −( p   =  1–191), S   q −( q   =  1–15), S   q +( q   =  1–12), Se   r −( r   =  1–8) and Se   r +( r   =  1–9), was identified. High numbers of binary P p S q , S q Se r (35) or ternary P p S q Se r (138) clusters were formed by LA synthesis from the various mixtures. Most of the ternary P p S q Se r clusters were formed either from a mixture of P 4 S 3 with selenium (grey) or from a mixture of SeS 2 with red phosphorus. In total, 138 new ternary P p S q Se r clusters were identified. The conditions for the formation of such possible prospective nano‐materials are given. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.