Thiourea‐Derived Single‐Source Molecular Precursor For Spin‐Coated PbS Thin Films

Abstract

In search of a suitable single‐source precursor for the deposition of nanostructured PbS thin films at moderate temperatures under ambient conditions, we have synthesized the ligand N ‐(thiomorpholine‐4‐carbothioyl)benzamide and its corresponding lead(II) complex. The structures of both compounds were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. In the complex, two ligands coordinate to a lead(II) atom in hemi‐directed geometry through S and O atoms. Secondary intermolecular Pb⋅⋅⋅S interactions group the complexes into pairs. As bulk powders, both the ligand and complex show nominal composition and purity as evidenced by elemental analysis, 1 H NMR and IR spectroscopy. Thermal analysis of the lead(II) complex was carried out to understand its thermal decomposition behaviour for establishing a thin film fabrication protocol. Thin films of phase‐pure PbS were fabricated using this new molecular precursor at the comparatively low annealing temperature of 250 °C. The film showed nanoparticles with cuboidal morphology and a blue‐shifted optical absorption.

Portrait of a UK–Africa Capacity Building Initiative Consortium 2015–2022: the Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa and United Kingdom Materials Initiative (CaGSUMI) for developing materials for solar cells

“…the newly installed aberration-corrected Titan ChemiSTEM) that would allow a step change for the African laboratories in characterization of their materials, and new insights into performance. Revaprasadu's laboratory was focused on developing narrow-gap semiconductor materials [3][4][5] that could also be useful for applications beyond solar energy, for example, in water splitting to produce H 2 and O 2 from H 2 O. Ndifon's group was a more traditional inorganic coordination chemistry group that would bring further expertise in developing new and novel precursors to unlock chemical routes to new inorganic materials [6]. Awudza's group brought the novel aspect of using natural products as agents to control nanocrystalline growth and represented the sustainability aspect of the project [7][8][9].…”

“…The research in the programme graduated nine PhDs in materials science, and led to the publication of over 30 papers with both directly funded and associate students aligned to the project as lead authors [6,8,9,, and was one of the most successful consortia on the RS-Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) programme in terms of academic research outputs. In a recent RS peer review of the ACBI programme in 2023, the outputs from our consortium on average were rated at 5* (very good).The consortium had 10 papers assessed by two reviewers, with 9 of the 10 papers receiving a score of 4 (good) or above.…”

α-Ag2S nanoparticles: low-temperature syntheses, crystallisation pathway, and first operando luminescence measurements for sodium-ion battery applications

“…23,24 SSPs are molecular structures that contain all the elements required to form inorganic products. 25,26 The most commonly used complex molecules are metal alkoxides, metal salts, 27 and binary organometallic complexes. 28 SSPs are advantageous because they already contain metal and sulphide sources, are easy to prepare, are stable over time, do not require counter ions as salt precursors, and produce high-purity products.…”