Abstract
In this paper, we have shown a complete methodology to scrutinize the electrodeposition of stoichiometric and nanostructured CdTe thin films from an ionic liquid bath, namely 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl). A detailed cyclic voltammetric study using paused potentials has been carried out to identify various redox processes of an unknown complex system. As-deposited 1μm CdTe films possessed spindle like nanostructures of cubic phase and very high absorption coefficient of 6×104cm−1. Looking at the cost of ionic liquids, we have suggested a way-out procedure to reuse the ionic liquid without any recycling. A miniature ionic liquid bath of 5mL having only 1:10 (Te:Cd) precursor concentration can be utilized for fabricating four identical 0.5cm2 CdTe thin films of 1μm thickness by applying −1.65V (vs. Fc/Fc+) at 80°C. The reuse of ionic liquid decreases deposition time in 4th run to only 555s, which is the shortest deposition time from any electrolytic bath till date. The bottleneck in adopting ionic liquids for commercial use lies in their cost and this crucial issue was dealt with a simple idea proposed in the present work. This study will be important to open up a new era of “Green” and low cost alternatives to develop nanostructured thin films of any compound material for their utilization in modern photoelectric devices.
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