GROWTH OF COPPER ZINC TIN SULFIDE NANO-RODS BY ELECTRODEPOSITION USING ANODIZED ALUMINUM AS THE GROWTH MASK

Abstract

In this work, we report the growth of Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide (CZTS) nano-rods on CZTS thin films. The nano-structures were fabricated using an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) growth mask. The metallic constituents of CZTS were co-electrodeposited within the AAO nano-pores using a choline-based ionic liquid as the electrolyte. Sulfurization was performed in elementary sulfur vapor environment at 450°C for 4 hours in nitrogen ambient. The properties of the CZTS thin film grown in the process were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results indicated that the film has a stannite structure with preferred grain orientation along (112). The nano-rods fabricated using this technique show that the diameters of the rods can be easily varied from 150–250 nm by changing the potential in the anodization process. The morphology and crystal structure of CZTS nano-rods were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).