화학공학소재연구정보센터
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol.43, No.27, 11990-12001, 2018
Electrophoretic behavior of solvothermal synthesized anion replaced Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)(4) films for photoelectrochemical water splitting
Quaternary Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1-x)(4) (CZT(SxSe1-x)(4)) compounds have drawn a great deal of attention for being used in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices such as solar cells, photocatalysts, and photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, one major challenge facing the utilization of this material is to reduce the production cost of synthesis and fabrication of high quality CZT(SxSe1-x)(4) films. In the present study, a facile and beneficial solvothermal route has been reported for synthesis of CZT(SxSe1-x)(4) compounds. The process of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of synthesized CZT(SxSe1-x)(4) nanoparticles, is systematically compared with each other in order to obtain high quality films with appropriate porosity. The XRD patterns, EDS and Raman spectra confirm the formation of CZT(SxSe1-x)(4) phases with no trace of impurities and appreciable crystallinity and also with near stoichiometry composition in all the samples. The obtained particle size for CZTS, CZTSSe and CZTSe samples was in the range of 50-100 nm and also for some agglomerate particles was in the range of 500 nm to 2 mu m. Based on the obtained results for thin films prepared using EPD in the present study, the best EPD parameters for each CZTS, CZTSe and CZTSSe samples with 120 V and 5 min as applied voltage and deposition time were reported as the best samples. The obtained photocurrent-potential and current-time curves of CZT(SxSe1-x)(4) thin film samples demonstrate that the photocur- rents of each CZTS, CZTSe, CZTSSe thin films, are different in the range of -2.1 to -6 mA/cm(2) and also the CZTS and CZTSe samples show a detectable current under the exposure of sunlight that can have an appropriate stability for 3000 s but the CZTSSe sample showed a stable photocurrent just for 2000 s. According to the mentioned results in this study, the CZTS and CZTSe samples can potentially be suitable candidates for further applications. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.