Colloidal chemical synthesis of pentanary semiconductor nanoparticles – A versatile functional material for low-cost, high efficient photovoltaic applications

Abstract

Copper zinc tin sulphide (CZTS) and its related quaternary chalcogenide materials are promising materials for solar cells applications. The incorporation of transition metal cations into any semiconductor systems may lead to very interesting physical and chemical properties for optoelectronic applications. In this study, for the first time, we report a novel synthesis of Cu2Fe0.5Ni0.5SnS4 pentanary nanoparticles by hydrothermal method at 200°C. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and UV-Vis spectrophotometric (UV-Vis) studies. XRD and Raman studies confirm the formation of stannite structure without any secondary phases. Morphological features of the prepared nanoparticles have been analyzed by FESEM and TEM. Based on the EDS results, the stoichiometry of the Cu2Fe0.5Ni0.5SnS4 (CFNTS) was determined and the elemental distributions were achieved by mapping analysis. CFNTS nanoparticles show optical band gap of 1.29 eV, which indicates that these nanoparticles are potential absorber material for thin film solar cells.