Influence of PVP on the properties of solvothermally synthesized famatinite nanoparticles: Structural, morphological and optical insights

Abstract

Famatinite (Cu3SbS4) nanoparticles were synthesized through a solvothermal approach using various polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) ratios as a capping agent with a binary solvent of ethylene glycol and water in equal parts. Incremental additions of PVP, ranging from 0 to 1.5 g, exerted significant influence on the material's characteristics. Through comprehensive analysis involving X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and UV diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, critical insights were obtained. XRD analysis confirmed the tetragonal crystal structure and revealed reduced crystallite sizes due to the incorporation of PVP. Raman spectroscopy validated the presence of pure famatinite phase with 0.5 g and 1.0 g PVP. SEM analysis uniformly depicted a spherical morphology in all samples, emphasizing PVP's role in mitigating nanoparticle agglomeration. UV diffuse reflectance spectroscopy disclosed direct bandgaps falling within the 0.88 – 0.97 eV range. The collective findings highlighted the substantial impact of PVP in the binary solvent on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of Cu3SbS4 nanoparticles. These results underscore the potential application of these tailored nanoparticles as promising candidates for advanced photovoltaic absorber materials.