Abstract
Commercially available compound CuInGa (S, Se) can be replaced with emerging quaternary compound Cu2ZnSnS4 (Copper Zinc Tin Sulphur or CZSS) for photovoltaic applications due to the high absorption coefficient and optimum bandgap. Unstable sulphur and the co-existence of binary and ternary phases in CZSS are the main obstacles for a single-phase kesterite quaternary compound. To overcome these issues, the researchers are synthesising the CZSS in presence of sulphur and selenium environment. The sulphurization and selenization are the constraints for the synthesis of CZSS and these processes make it costlier. In the present work, the wet-chemical method (i.e., co-precipitation method) was used to synthesise CZSS without vacuum annealing where the sulphur constituent was controlled by changing the stoichiometric ratio. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman analysis confirm that the synthesised CZSS was in polycrystalline and single-phase kesterite nature. The average crystallite sizes for thiourea 16, 18, 20 mmol were found 15 nm, 17 nm and 17 nm, respectively. Surface morphology of the as-prepared film was identified by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical bandgap of the film was obtained ~1.33 eV by UV-visible (UV-vis) analysis. The 18 mmol of thiourea with stoichiometric ratio 4:2:2:9 is found the best optimisation for synthesising the CZSS without vacuum annealing by the co-precipitation method. Thus, the thin film of such synthesised CZSS may be employed for the low-cost photovoltaic application.
Highlights
In the last three decades, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZSS) nanomaterials have attracted enormous attention by promising development for solar energy conversion due to high absorbent (>104cm−1), low cost, environment-friendly, non-toxic and sustainable earth-abundant elements
We have described a facile and low-cost synthesis of wurtzite CZSS Nanocrystals (NCs) without vacuum annealing or sulphurization by the co-precipitation method where ethanol and water were used as a solvent
After the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterisations of the samples A, B and C, it was confirmed that the sample B with 18 mmol thiourea concentration was found the best optimisation with the polycrystalline kesterite phase having the better morphology than the samples A and C
Summary
In the last three decades, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZSS) nanomaterials have attracted enormous attention by promising development for solar energy conversion due to high absorbent (>104cm−1), low cost, environment-friendly, non-toxic and sustainable earth-abundant elements. CZSS has a tunable bandgap of about 1.4 eV to 1.6 eV, which is very close to the optimum value as an absorber layer in solar cells.[1–3]. The co-existence of binary and ternary phases, the synthesis of CZSS puts a lot of hurdles in its development.[4]. An effort has been laid by researchers to overcome the phase problem by sulphurization process in inert or vacuum atmosphere.[5,6]. Such process has a constraint of cost and time consumption. The exploration of novel methods for the CZSS synthesis has gained much attention across the globe
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