Effect Of Ag Doping Research Articles

Systematic study on the effect of Ag doping in shaping the magnetic properties of sol-gel derived TiO2 nanoparticles

Effect of Silver (Ag) doping in shaping magnetic properties of sol-gel derived TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) is studied using different characterisation techniques. An interconnection between the results of characterizations and the magnetic behavior of the Ag doped samples has been established. XRD patterns show an anatase to rutile phase transition in NPs at 14 at. % Ag doping. XRD peaks related to metallic Ag are found in the TiO2 NPs containing 10 and 14 at. % Ag whereas secondary phase of Ag2O is noticed in all the samples. FESEM images exhibit the presence of segregated silver clusters attached to the TiO2 nanostructures for 10 and 14 at. % Ag doping. XPS detects the presence of several cationic states in doped TiO2 NPs. UV–Vis measurements reveal that the quantum size effect enhances the band gap at initial level of doping and afterwards it continiously decreases due to sp-d exchange interactions. M − H study shows the emergence of soft ferromagnetism (FM) in the sample doped with a critical Ag+ ion concentration of 5 at. % due to d-orbital mediated spin information transfer between two hole trapped Ag+ ion and a Ti3+ defect leading to the formation of BMP. Temperature dependent FC and ZFC magnetization measurements indicate coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic domains. The investigations culminate in identification of not only the optimum processing conditions for enhanced FM properties along with good physical characteristics but also the probable cause behind the origin of FM in Ag doped TiO2 NPs. Such Ag doped TiO2 NPs can be useful for development of futuristic spintronic and magneto-optical devices.

Characterization of Ag-doped ZnO thin films by spray pyrolysis and its using in enhanced photoelectrochemical performances

In this work, Ag:ZnO thin films have been prepared by spraying a mixture of zinc acetate dehydrate and silver nitrate precursors on (ITO)-coated glass substrates at optimized conditions of substrate temperature and a solution concentration. In the current study, we show the effect of Ag doping on the morphological and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO thin films. The SEM observations exhibit indeed a low change in the size of the surface crystallite after doping. For instance, we have investigated the silver doping effect on the electrochemical behavior taking place at the ZnO/electrolyte interface. The interface has been modeled as an equivalent circuit consisting of a parallel charge transfer resistance RCt and a constant phase element (CPE) in series with a resistance of electrolyte RS. An optimization of the doping percentage has shown that the ZnO photoanode doped with 2% Ag gives the best photoelectrochemical performances.

Mutual effects of Ag doping and non-stoichiometric glass forming units on the structural, thermal, and electrical properties of Ag30+xAs28-xSe21Te21 chalcogenide glasses

In this work, we report the sensitivity of structural, thermal, and electrical properties of Ag30+xAs28-xSe21Te21 (x = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) chalcogenide glasses to the relative abundance of Ag and As in the compositions. The results show non-linear variation of glass density with linear increase in Ag (or decrease in As), implying structural change at 38 at.% Ag (or 20 at.% As). This structure change was further evident from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman analyses, which show distinct characteristic temperatures (Tg, Tx, and Tp) and bonding type with increasing Ag content (decreasing As content). Specifically, at high Ag content beyond 38 at.% (As below 20 at.%), two additional exothermic peaks appear in DSC curves, and a strong As–Se bonding peak appears in Raman. The structural change is closely related to the variation of glass conductivity in a complex way, which first decreases with increasing Ag content, from 1.14 × 10−6 S cm−1 at 32 at.% Ag to 2.88 × 10−7 S cm−1 at 36 at.% Ag, but then with further increase in Ag, conductivity increases rapidly and reaches the maximum of 5.20 × 10−6 S cm−1 at the maximum Ag content 40 at.%. The abnormal change in conductivity is interpreted as due to the mutual effects of Ag doping as well as the degree of deviation from stoichiometry of the glass forming units. The impedance spectra identify little ionic contribution to the total conductivity which is supported from Raman spectra of the glasses and XRD analyses of the samples after thermal crystallization, both showing evidences of the presence of lone pair electrons of the chalcogen atoms. This work highlights the importance of compositional adjustment for the modification of physical properties in chalcogenide glasses, and provides a scientific basis for potential applications of such glasses in electronic devices.

Effects of Ag-doping on the characteristics of AgxNi1-xO transparent conducting oxide film and their applications in heterojunction diodes

AgxNi1-xO transparent conducting oxide film with various Ag mole ratios were prepared via a low-cost sol-gel method, and p-AgxNi1-xO/n-Si heterojunction diodes (HJDs) were fabricated. The effects of various Ag mole ratios on the structure, optical, and electrical properties of AgxNi1-xO films were systematically investigated, and their device applications in p-AgxNi1-xO/n-Si HJDs were examined. The Ag atoms accumulate at grain boundaries and inhibit the grain growth of AgxNi1-xO films. The pristine NiO film exhibits a transmittance exceeding 90% for the visible wavelengths. However, transmittance decreases with the Ag mole ratio. A transmittance hollow occurs at approximately 410 nm in Ag-doped AgxNi1-xO film, attributing to the absorption of surface-plasma-resonance of Ag nanoparticles. The energy gap increases from 3.58 to 3.75 eV for the AgxNi1-xO films with the Ag mole ratio of 0 and 1.8, respectively. Hall measurement indicated that the AgxNi1-xO film is p-type. The pristine NiO film exhibits a very high resistivity (≧106 ohm-cm). The resistivity significantly decreases from 14.8 to 1.88 × 10−4 ohm-cm for the AgxNi1-xO film with the Ag mole ratio of 0.3 and 1.8, respectively. Simultaneously, the hole concentration significantly increases from 1.46 × 1016 to 8.03 × 1022 cm−3. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the Ni+3/Ni+2 ratio increases from 0.73 to 1.73 for the AgxNi1-xO films with the Ag mole ratio of 0 and 1.8, respectively. The increased Ni+3/Ni+2 ratio is responsible for increase in the hole concentration. The fabricated p-AgxNi1-xO/n-Si HJDs with Ag mole ratio of 0.5 exhibits a clear rectifying behavior with series resistance and ideality factor of 0.88 kΩ and 2.8, respectively.

Precession controlled synthesis and ligands assisted modulation of optical properties and Raman scattering in Ag doped ZnO nano-egg

Abstract Highly luminescent Ag doped ZnO nanocrystals were synthesized in controlled manner by wet chemical route at room temperature and effects of Ag doping and three different ligands polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and biotin (BT) attached were investigated. The phase purity, crystallinity and crystallite sizes of as prepared nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, which confirms high crystalline hexagonal wurtzite phase for all the samples and has no any toxicity issues. We reported here the egg shape of the Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles in biotin matrix having single domain crystallites as observed from high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images. The electron diffraction results obtained are consistent with the XRD results. The optical properties of the synthesized NPs were examined using UV–visible spectroscopy which shows exceptional band gap of 4.25 eV for the BT caped NPs and is believed to be tuned by Ag doping and quantum confinement in biotin matrix. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements demonstrated that the how Ag+ and different ligands attached can alter the excitonic and defect related emission in the Ag doped ZnO NPs. Room temperature Raman scattering were also reported from all the Ag doped ZnO NPs which shows new phonon scattering mode.

Influence of Ag Doping on the Electrochemical Supercapacitor Characteristics of Manganese Dioxide Prepared by Pulsed Potentiostatic Electrodeposition

Manganese dioxide (MnO2) is a promising electrode material for electrochemical supercapacitor applications due to its low cost, eco-friendly and high theoretical specific capacitance in a wide potential window. In this study, MnO2 and Ag-doped MnO2 are prepared by cathodic electrodeposition on graphite substrate from electrolyte with the main compound of potassium permanganate using pulse potentiostatic technique. The effect of Ag doping on the morphology, structure and electrochemical properties of MnO2 materials are investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are used for characterization of the prepared materials. The results show that doping Ag into the MnO2 structure has improved electrochemical characteristics of materials. The specific capacitances are calculated for pure MnO2 and Ag-doped MnO2 to be 272.84 and 277.48 F/g, respectively. The prepared materials exhibit the high charge-discharge stability, maintaining at about 92 % for MnO2 and 95 % for Ag-doped MnO2 after 500 cycles of the charge-discharge operation.

Effects of Ag doping on compact TiO2 thin films synthesized via one-step sol–gel route and deposited by spin coating technique

In this paper, we present a novel one-step, easy and cost-effective method for the synthesis of Ag-doped TiO2 sol and deposition of its compact thin films by spin coating technique. The effects of dopant quantity (0–5% by weight) on structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of TiO2 thin films have been investigated and reported. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) spectra revealed single anatase phase having no secondary phases. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed pinholes-free/compact thin films composed of spherical nanoparticles where the particle size has been demonstrated to decrease with increasing Ag doping. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed smooth and compact TiO2 thin films, however, the surface roughness tends to grow with increasing the dopant quantity. The X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) revealed the presence of Ag mass percentage in the relevant samples, which has been demonstrated to grow with increasing the amount of dopant. The UV–Vis spectroscopy concluded the bandgap reduction of pure anatase phase of TiO2 (3.38 eV) as the Ag doping reaches to its maximum value of 5% (3.18 eV). Spectroscopic Ellipsometry has been employed to determine the thickness of thin films which was found to be in the range of ~ 100 nm, while electrical properties have been measured through DC-Hall Effect technique. It was found that the conductivity of thin films improved from 5.74 × 10–2 to 2.72 × 10–1 Ω−1 cm−1 on glass while on FTO-coated glass substrates, a higher value of 1.51 × 104 Ω−1 cm−1 was achieved.

Effect of Ag doping on the performance of Cu2SnS3 thin-film solar cells

For the promising next-generation thin-film solar cells, Cu2SnS3 (CTS) solar cells still suffer from low open circuit voltage (VOC) and so resulting an unsatisfactory power conversion efficiency. Herein, Ag was introduced in solution-processed CTS thin films via adding AgNO3 into precursor solution for photovoltaic devices. Compared with CTS, the VOC deficit for CuxAg2−xSnS3 (CATS) based cells could be effectively reduced for about 10 mV, together with the increased short circuit current density (JSC) and fill factor (FF), a power conversion efficiency of 3.99% was achieved. Such improved performance of CATS cells could be attributed to the improved crystallization, reduced shunting channels and the decreased band-gap of CATS films.

Synthesis TiO2-Ag thin film by DC Sputtering method for dye degradation

Titanium dioxide (T1O2) is well known as the most active and stable semiconductor as an environmentally friendly photocatalytic material to degrade pollutants in aqueous and gas. In this research, TiO2 thin film was synthesized on a stainless steel surface using DC sputtering method. To enhance the photocatalytic activity, the TiO2 thin film was doped with a silver (Ag) also using DC sputtering method. The surface morphology, chemical composition, and crystal structure of the thin film were characterized using scanning electron microscopy –energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and X-rays diffraction (XRD), respectively. Based on SEM-EDX analysis, it’s found that the content of silver (Ag) is 10.5 % weight or 2.56 % at.. This condition was achieved for 2 minutes of deposition time. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2 and TiO2-Ag thin film was studied using UV light and sunlight. As a model pollutant, it’s used methylene blue. It’s found that, if the film exposure using UV light, the absorbance for TiO2 film is 35.85 % and 64.26 % for TiO2-Ag thin film. If the film exposure using sunlight, the absorbance for TiO2 film is 17.5 % and 76.74 % for TiO2-Ag thin film. It can be concluded that the effect of Ag doping can enhance the photocatalytic activity of the thin film.

Effect of Ag-doping on the structural, optical, electrical and photovoltaic properties of thermally evaporated Cadmium Selenide thin films

To study the capability of the CdSe thin films to use as an absorber layer in semi-transparent thin film solar cells, the structural, optical, electrical and photovoltaic properties of thermally evaporated CdSe thin films (thickness 300 nm) as a function of silver-doping were investigated. A novel and facile method was used to Ag-doping of the samples. Some aqueous solution of silver nitrate (with various concentration) was spin coated onto the surface of CdSe thin films followed by air-annealing to diffuse silver dopants into the layers. The field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) images showed that the surface of CdSe thin films was improved with our doping method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the hexagonal structure of the samples. The crystallite size, micro-strain and dislocation density of CdSe thin films were evaluated using XRD patterns. The transmittance spectra in the wavelength range of 400–2500 nm were measured and then used to study other optical parameters. The optical energy band gap was decreased with Ag-doping from 1.96 eV to 1.67 eV. The electrical conductivity of FTO/CdSe:Ag/Al Schottky junction devices was improved by Ag-doping, and the photovoltaic efficiency was increased by Ag-doping form 1.53% for the undoped sample to 2.78% for the sample with the highest doping concentration. Obtained results show that Ag-doped CdSe thin films are a promising candidate to use as an absorber layer in semi-transparent solar cells and colorful photovoltaic windows.

First-Principles Modeling of Oxygen Adsorption on Ag-Doped LaMnO3 (001) Surface

The density functional theory (DFT) method has been used to calculate oxygen adsorption on the Ag-doped MnO2- and LaO-terminated (001) LaMnO3 surfaces. The catalytic effect of Ag doping is revealed by comparison of the adsorption energies, electron charge redistribution, and interatomic distances for the doped and undoped surfaces. Adsorption of Ag on the MnO2-terminated surface increases the adsorption energy for both atomic and molecular oxygen. This increases the oxygen surface concentrations and could improve the cathode efficiency of fuel cells. The opposite effect takes place at the LaO-terminated surface. Due to the large adsorption energies, adsorbed oxygen atoms are immobile and the oxygen reduction reaction rate is controlled by the concentration and mobility of oxygen vacancies.

Effect of Ag-doping on cytotoxicity of SnO2 nanoparticles in tobacco cell cultures

SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) are promising materials for electrochemical, catalytic, and biomedical applications due to their high photosensitivity, suitable stability characteristics, wide band gap energy potential, and low cost. Doping SnO2 NPs with metallic elements such as Ag has been used to improve their efficiency. Despite their commercial importance, the current literature lacks investigations to determine their toxic effects on plant systems. In this study, SnO2 and Ag/SnO2 NPs were synthesized using polymer pyrolysis method and characterized by means of XRD, TEM, SEM, EDX, and DLS techniques. Subsequently, the toxicity of the synthesized NPs on cell viability, cell proliferation, and a number of oxidative stress markers were measured in tobacco cell cultures. SnO2 and Ag/SnO2 NPs were found to be polygonal in shape with the size range of 10–30 nm. Both NPs induced cytotoxicity by reducing the cell viability and cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the generation of H2O2, phenolics, flavonoids, and increased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were observed. According to the results, Ag-doping played a key role in the induction of toxicity in tobacco cell cultures. The obtained results confirmed that SnO2 and Ag/SnO2 NPs induced cytotoxicity in tobacco cells through oxidative stress.

Morphology evolution and luminescence enhancement in hydrothermally synthesized Ag doped ZnO nanorods

Influence of silver doping has been investigated on structural, morphological and optical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods. Ag-doped ZnO nanorods have been synthesized using hydrothermal method. X-ray powder diffraction results indicate that ZnO doped with Ag retains wurtzite structure and crystallite size is increased as estimated by Debye-Scherrer method. Scanning electron microscopy reveals nanorod-shaped structures of the samples. Incorporation of Ag has led to a marked morphological evolution with increased length and diameter of nanorods. UV–visible absorption spectra do not show any appreciable change in absorbance edge and the band gap of ZnO remains almost constant with Ag doping. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy shows that the intensity of near band edge emission at 390 nm can be enhanced by Ag doping. Excellent enhancement of luminescence properties in the visible range is also observed in Ag-doped ZnO nanorods. CIE chromaticity diagram reveals the enhancement toward white zone. The origin of enhancement of PL emission is attributed to increase in number density of charge carriers and excitons. Present results demonstrate a profound effect of Ag doping on structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods which may have good prospects in scientific and industrial applications.

Effects of Ag doping on the microstructural, morphological, and magnetic properties of a perovskite material, (La1-xAgx)0.8Ca0.2MnO3

In this study, perovskite (La1-xAgx)0.8Ca0.2MnO3 material was synthesized using the solgel method with different Ag doping levels (x = 0.0.3 and 0.1). The precursors, La2O3, AgN3, Ca(NO3)2.4H2O, and Mn(NO3)2.4H2O were combined stoichiometrically and sintered at 900°C for 24 h. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used to confirm the purity of each sample. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the samples had a single phase and orthorhombic structure with the Pnma space group. Scanning electron microscopy revealed density, porosity, and granular morphology that affected the characteristics of the sample. The magnetic hysteresis curves indicate that the material was paramagnetic and material with x = 0.1 has a higher magnetic susceptibility than with x = 0.03.

The effect of Ag-doping (x = 0 and 0.05) on structural and morphological La0.8-xAgxCa0.2MnO3 material synthesized by sol-gel method

In this paper, we will report the Ag-doping effect on the structure and morphology of La08Ca02MnO3 (LCMO) and La075Ag005Ca02MnO3 (LACMO) materials. LCMO and LACMO materials were synthesized via the sol-gel method and sintered at 900 °C for 24h. The structure of the materials was characterized using X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and found that both materials are in the orthorhombic structure (Pnma space group). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of the material and obtained the homogeneity of the materials. With Ag doping, the grain size of the material will decrease. The results of Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) confirm the composition of both materials.

Formation of one dimensional nanorods with microsphere of MnCO3 using Ag as dopant to enhance the performance of pseudocapacitors

Abstract The peculiar morphology of nanorods mixed with microspheres of manganese carbonate (MnCO3) doping with different percentages (0, 2, 4, 6%) of silver (Ag) was synthesized by simple co-precipitation method. The effect of Ag doping on structural, morphological and compositional properties of MnCO3 were investigated. XRD results revealed that the synthesized samples have hexagonal-rhombohedral structure and the peaks are shifted towards higher angles with increasing Ag content. The pure MnCO3 exhibited microsphere like morphology with the size in the rage of 0.8–2.5 μm. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of Mn, C, O and Ag elements. The specific capacitance values are calculated and 4% Ag-doped MnCO3 electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 554.6 Fg-1 at a current density of 0.5 Ag-1, good rate capability of 54.74% and excellent cycle stability of 87.22% capacitance retention after 1000 cycles. From these results, Ag-doped MnCO3 could be preferred as the potential competitor for future electrochemical supercapacitor devices.

Effects of Ag doping on the electronic and optical properties of CdSe quantum dots.

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanocrystals are important photoelectric materials. Doping heterovalent impurities such as silver (Ag) in CdSe nanocrystal quantum dots (QDs) can provide additional charge carriers, which can significantly enhance the performance of CdSe QDs for their potential applications in high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. Using density functional theory (DFT) based calculations with the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE06) screened hybrid functional, we demonstrate that Ag doping can affect the structural, electronic and optical properties of CdSe QDs significantly. The location and number of Ag dopant atoms are critical factors for modifying the electronic structure, in particular the change of energy position and shape of the valence and conduction band edges. It is found that doping of Ag atoms into the core region of a CdSe nanoparticle induces metallic-like electronic characteristics with a dense number of electrons emerging at the Fermi level. However, incorporation of Ag dopant into the surface of a CdSe quantum dot introduces some mid-gap states that mainly consist of Se 4p states, and results in a new sub-bandgap electronic transition from mid-gap states to the conduction band. The calculated absorption spectra indicate that doping of just one or two Ag atoms greatly strengthens the absorption in the ultraviolet-visible regime and extends the absorption edges of CdSe QDs into the infrared regime. In particular, the spectra show a high-intensity absorption band between 424 and 600 nm with just 1 Ag atom incorporated into the CdSe QDs. Based on the improved absorption spectra, the present results provide a science-based strategy for designing Ag-doped CdSe QDs with enhanced visible light absorption for their application in high-efficiency photovoltaic devices.

Effects of Ag Doping and Point Defect on the Magnetism of ZnO

The magnetism sources and magnetic mechanism of Ag doping and point defect, which coexist in the presence of ZnO, are frequently controversial. To solve these problems, the effects of Ag doping and Zn or O vacancy on the magnetism of ZnO were investigated using geometry optimization and energy calculation according to the first-principles generalized gradient approximation + U (GGA+U) method of density functional theory. Results revealed that the system which Ag doping and Zn vacancy coexists in ZnO could achieve room-temperature ferromagnetism. This system had an extremely high spin polarization, which was advantageous for the spin electron injection sources applied in dilute magnetic semiconductors. Result also revealed that the magnetism of Zn14AgO16 was caused by the electron hybrid coupling effects among the O-2p, Ag-4d, Ag-5s, and Zn-4s orbits. And these effects were produced by the hole carriers after complexes were formed by the Ag doping and Zn vacancy. With regard to the most stable structure of the ground state, all doping systems which Ag replacing Zn and O vacancy coexisted in ZnO and those which Ag replacing Zn, interstitial Ag, and O vacancy coexisted in ZnO were all non-magnetic. Thus, these doping systems were unsuitable for dilute magnetic semiconductors. By contrast, the doping systems of interstitial Ag and Zn vacancy were magnetic, although the magnetism was relatively weak, thus rendering such systems inapplicable as well.

Preparation and Characterization of Conductive Polyaniline/Silver Nanocomposite Films and Their Antimicrobial Studies

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles are known to hold an important place in nanotechnology, and studies herein present the preparation and characterization of Ag metallic nanoparticles bearing antibacterial properties. In situ polymerization was used to prepare the conductive polymer polyaniline (PANI) and polyaniline/silver (PANI/Ag) nanocomposites. Increases in electrical conductivities of the nanocomposite films were observed compared to neat PANI, whereby these increases may be a result of the Ag doping effect or its complex formation. Spectroscopic techniques, such as, UV–Vis, FTIR, and photoluminescence were used for the characterizations of PANI and PANI/Ag nanocomposites. UV–Vis and FTIR data showed the quinoid units along the polymer chain being affected, such that strong interactions between Ag nanoparticles and quinoidal sites of PANI were presumed. The PANI/Ag nanocomposites showed higher photoluminescence intensities than neat PANI. TGA analyzes were used to determine weight losses and thermostabilities of PANI and PANI/Ag nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy was used for morphological evaluations of the nanoparticles and films, where the micrographs revealed that Ag nanoparticles were well dispersed and isolated in nanocomposite films. The presence and distribution of the Ag nanoparticles in PANI film matrix were analyzed by EDX. Antimicrobial properties of the nanocomposite films obtained were also explored. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E182–E194, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

Green Atmospheric Aqueous Solution Deposition for High Performance Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 Thin Film Solar Cells

Environment‐friendly process, low production cost, and simple operation are regarded as key factors for scalable kesterite photovoltaic applications. Herein a green ammonium thioglycolate (TGAm)‐based aqueous solution route has been developed to deposit Cu2ZnSnS4 films. It is found that sinstering in ambient air is as good as in argon, making the production process more affordable and reproducible. TGAm is more active than other alkylthiols with longer alkyl chains and has a strong coordination capability toward metal ions, which is a key factor in the dissolution of a series of metal oxides. Meanwhile, TGAm is widely used in biopharmaceuticals and hairspray, demonstrating good biological compatibility. Moreover, a low level of Ag doping can be successfully incorporated into the host lattice of the CZTSSe to form a homogeneous (Cu1−x,Agx)2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CAZTSSe) alloy material by this aqueous process. Benefiting from the effect of Ag doping, the initial power conversion efficiency is successfully enhanced from 5.86% (x = 0) to 7.38% (x = 2%).