Aqueous synthesis and characterization of hydrophilic Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals

Abstract

In this work, a novel and facile method was developed to synthesize hydrophilic Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanocrystals (NCs) for the first time. Hydrophilic CZTS NCs were prepared by stirring appropriate amounts of inorganic metal salt and ammonium sulfide in aqueous solution containing thioglycolic acid as stabilizer at room temperature. The as-prepared hydrophilic CZTS NCs were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM and UV–vis. The good absorption in the visible light region may find its interesting application in solar cells. I–V curve indicated that the CZTS NCs favored the generation of photoinduced carrier and electronic transmission. The proposed synthesis strategy may be used as a general process for the synthesis of hydrophilic chalcogenide semiconductorNCs.