Green Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Cu₂ZnSnS₄ Powder Using Hydrothermal Route

Abstract

Nanocrystalline Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) powder was synthesized by a hydrothermal process, using thiourea as sulfur precursor. The powder was qualitatively analyzed using X-ray to identify the phase, and the size of the particles was determined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Raman peak at 337.5 cm −1 confirms the formation of pure CZTS particles. The powder was also synthesized solvothermally using ethylenediamine as solvent. The hydrothermally synthesized powder indicated the presence of the kesterite phase Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 and particle size of about 4-5 nm. This environmentally green synthesis by hydrothermal route can produce gram scale synthesis of material with a chemical yield in excess of ∼ 90%. UV Vis absorption spectra measurements indicated the band gap of as-synthesized CZTS nanoparticles to be 1.7 eV, which is near the optimum value for photovoltaic solar cell, showing its possible use in photovoltaics.

Towards environmentally benign approaches for the synthesis of CZTSSe nanocrystals by a hot injection method: a status review

“…Non-vacuum approaches offer high-throughput equipment, low wastage of raw materials, high uniformity of layer properties over large area and finally, potential deployment of large-scale production with low capital investment. [16][17][18][19] The different solution based techniques, such as solvothermal, [20][21][22][23] precipitation, [24][25][26] hydrothermal [27][28][29] and microwave assisted process (MW), [30][31][32] have been reported for the synthesis of CZTS NCs. However, several issues, which need to be addressed, are associated with these techniques.…”

Self-sacrificial template directed hydrothermal route to kesterite-Cu2ZnSnS4 microspheres and study of their photo response properties

“…[23][24][25] Moreover, spin casting or printing technology enable the roll to roll processing of nanoparticle ink for large scale production of films. 26 One major advantage of the hydrothermal method over these synthesis routes is the controlled stoichiometry and chemical homogeneity of the final product. To date, some solvothermal based syntheses of CZTS have been reported in the literature [27][28][29][30][31] but a facile hydrothermal based approach has been sporadically investigated.…”

“…To date, some solvothermal based syntheses of CZTS have been reported in the literature [27][28][29][30][31] but a facile hydrothermal based approach has been sporadically investigated. 26,32 Nonetheless, the previous hydrothermal based studies seriously lack any morphological evolution of the resulting material.…”

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Bi2S3 and Sb2S3 Nanoparticles and Their Photoelectrochemical Properties

“…The obtained band gap value of 2.71 eV for Sb 2 S 3 was found to be slightly higher compared to the band gap (1.78–2.5 eV) of the bulk material . The blue shift observed in the band gap of Sb 2 S 3 suggested the particle sizes, hence resulting in a stronger quantum confinement effect. , …”