Phase stabilization of Fe doped SnS by solvothermal method and its structural, morphological and optoelectronic properties for photovoltaic applications

Abstract

This letter reports the doping of Fe (Sn1-xFexS, x = 0, 0.002, 0.004, 0.006 and 0.008 M) in SnS by solvothermal method at a reaction temperature of 170 °C for a much reduced period of 90 min. The effect of Fe as a dopant on the phase purity, surface morphology, direct energy band gap and electrical resistivity of SnS is discussed in detail. Phase pure SnS formation is attained up to 6 % doping of Fe3+ at the cationic Sn2+ sites, whereas trivial formation of Sn2S3 as a secondary phase is observed along with SnS for SnS:Fe 8 % as evident from Raman, XRD, XPS and SAED analyses. Morphological studies showed the disruption of well-defined SnS nanorods upon the incorporation of Fe. The variations in direct energy band gap is well correlated with the effect of doping which in turn tuned the electrical transport properties of SnS without affecting its p-type conductivity.