Preparation and Layer-by-Layer Solution Deposition of Cu(In,Ga)O2 Nanoparticles with Conversion to Cu(In,Ga)S2 Films

Abstract

We present a method of Cu(In,Ga)S2 (CIGS) thin film formation via conversion of layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled Cu-In-Ga oxide (CIGO) nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes. CIGO nanoparticles were created via a novel flame-spray pyrolysis method using metal nitrate precursors, subsequently coated with polyallylamine (PAH), and dispersed in aqueous solution. Multilayer films were assembled by alternately dipping quartz, Si, and/or Mo substrates into a solution of either polydopamine (PDA) or polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) and then in the CIGO-PAH dispersion to fabricate films as thick as 1–2 microns. PSS/CIGO-PAH films were found to be inadequate due to weak adhesion to the Si and Mo substrates, excessive particle diffusion during sulfurization, and mechanical softness ill-suited to further processing. PDA/CIGO-PAH films, in contrast, were more mechanically robust and more tolerant of high temperature processing. After LbL deposition, films were oxidized to remove polymer and sulfurized at high temperature under flowing hydrogen sulfide to convert CIGO to CIGS. Complete film conversion from the oxide to the sulfide is confirmed by X-ray diffraction characterization.

Flame aerosol synthesis of nanostructured materials and functional devices: Processing, modeling, and diagnostics

“…xylene:tetrahydrofuran=1:1 [140] Cobalt naphthenate mineral spirits/xylene [351]; [361] Cobalt(II) nitrate(+4H2O,+6H2O) 100 1-propanol [148] 55 +6H2O) Ethanol [141]; [148] Methanol [148] methanol:propionic acid=1:1; ethanol:propionic acid=1:1; 1-propanol:propionic acid=1:1; propionic acid/1-octanol; propionic acid/1-pentanol [148] Water [46]; [48] Cobalt [154] Water [46] Nickel(II) propionate water/propionic acid [153] Nickel [109]; [162]- [164] xylene:acetonitrile=1:1 [367] Copper Ethanol [161] Isopropanol [168] Water [49]; [157] water/citric acid(as the chelating agent) [166] Copper propionate water/propionic acid [44]; [45] Zinc naphthenate Ethanol [106]; [169]; [170] Toluene [52]; [468] toluene:acetonitrile=4:1 [171] toluene:acetonitrile=8:1 [466] [467] Toluene:methanol=7:3 [172] Methanol:acetic acid=1:1 [80] mineral spirits/xylene [427] Zinc water/acetic acid [133] water/nitric acid [179] Strontium chloride 874 water/nitric acid [179] Strontium nitrate 570 Dimethylformamide [108] dimethylformamide:ethanol=4:1 [108] Water…”

Self-Healing Textile: Enzyme Encapsulated Layer-by-Layer Structural Proteins

“…Polyelectrolyte multilayers, prepared in a layer-by-layer (LbL) fashion by alternate treatments of a substrate with separate solutions of polycation and polyanion, are especially attractive vehicles for fabricating self-repairing materials. Such films are conformally deposited onto a substrate surface under ambient conditions in safe solvents, such as water, at low cost using simple equipment amenable to scale-up. , In addition, film composition can be varied by inclusion of other charged species, such as nanoparticles, − macromolecules, dyes, and quantum dots, among others, , that endow the film with multiple useful properties to enable new applications ranging from triggered chemical sensors , and drug delivery systems to tunable catalysis …”

Improved Quality Absorber Layer of I–III–VI2 Compound Semiconductors: Purification Process Revisited

“…The tuning of the chemical composition of the CIGSe nanoparticles optimizes the conversion efficiency as the optical and electrical properties of the absorber layers strongly depend on the chemical stoichiometries of Cu‐In‐Ga‐Se . In general, long hydrocarbon chains containing ligands are needed to synthesize monodispersed CIGSe nanoparticles, the surfactant quantity governs the weight percentage of the prepared CIGSe nanoparticles, and thus eventually produces carbon residues resulting from the pyrolysis of the surfactants.…”