Abstract
In this paper, the prospects of iron oxide films and their sulfidation for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are reviewed. Iron oxide thin films were prepared by hollow cathode plasma jet (HCPJ) sputtering, with an admixture of oxygen in the argon working gas and with an iron nozzle as the sputtering target. The discharge was powered by a constant current source in continuous mode and by a constant voltage source in pulsed mode. Plasma composition was measured by an energy-resolved mass spectrometer. Moreover, secondary electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), absorption and Raman spectra of the films are presented. Strong correlation between the color of the iron oxide film and its phase composition was revealed. Iron oxide films were sulfided at 350 °C. A relatively clean pyrite phase was obtained from the magnetite, while the marcasite with admixture of the pyrite phase was obtained from the hematite. Low influence of sulfidation on the films’ microstructure was demonstrated.
Highlights
One of the biggest problems facing mankind is the search for substitutes for slowly but inevitably disappearing fossil fuels
Iron oxide can serve as a convenient precursor for iron sulfide (FeS2 ), known as pyrite, which is becoming a popular object of investigation nowadays
The conversion of the FeS phase to FeS2 is possible by chemical methods [5], but attention must be paid to avoid FeS residuals
Summary
One of the biggest problems facing mankind is the search for substitutes for slowly but inevitably disappearing fossil fuels. The quality of human life depends to a large extent on the availability of clean energy sources. One such source is solar power by means of solar batteries, especially dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The traditional pyrite synthetic process could lead to unwanted phases during pyrite formation, such as FeS or other intermediate phases [1,4]. These conductive metallic phases destroy the semi-conductive properties of FeS2 , reducing the quality of the resultant material.
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