Synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Ink by an Easy Hydrothermal Method

Abstract

The quadrilateral p-type semiconductor Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) with a direct bandgap of 1.4 to 1.5 eV and a high absorption coefficient in the visible light range, is considered an excellent absorbent layer in the production of solar cells. The application of Cu2ZnSnS4 film absorbent materials is promising in the field of low-cost solar cell production. In this paper, a simple, efficient, controllable, and inexpensive solvothermal method is used to make the CZTS nanoparticles from zinc acetate, copper acetate, tin chloride, thiourea, and hexadecyl amine solvent. The ink was prepared from the CZTS powder and applied by the doctor Blade technique on soda-lime glass. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy analysis showed that the CZTS synthesis nanoparticles had a pure Kesterite structure. The thermo-gravimetric analysis showed about 12% of the loss weight of CZTS nanoparticles using field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential indicated that the synthesized nanoparticles had a strong absorption in the range of 125–477 nm with an average particle size of 300 nm and plate shape. The energy bandgap of CZTS nanoparticles was measured to be 1.49 eV using UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Performance evaluation of WS2 as buffer and Sb2S3 as hole transport layer in CZTS solar cell by numerical simulation

“…The CZTS absorber exhibits several advantages such as direct energy band gap in the range from 1.4 to 1.6 eV, large light absorption coefficient (>10 4 cm −1 ), economical fabrication process, and high stability, which facilitate it as a very reliable candidate of the TFSC for the commercial production. [24][25][26][27][28][29][30] An efficiency of 6.7% has been obtained for the experimentally fabricated CZTS-based solar cell. 27 Another research work reports the conversion efficiency of 8.4% for the TFSC employing an earth-abundant CZTS absorber.…”

“…Earth abundant raw material and nontoxic nature of the CZTS enable it as a precise absorber candidate for the PV technology to replace other costly and toxic absorbers. The CZTS absorber exhibits several advantages such as direct energy band gap in the range from 1.4 to 1.6 eV, large light absorption coefficient (>10 4 cm −1 ), economical fabrication process, and high stability, which facilitate it as a very reliable candidate of the TFSC for the commercial production 24–30 . An efficiency of 6.7% has been obtained for the experimentally fabricated CZTS‐based solar cell 27 .…”