Colloidal Synthesis, Characterization, and Photoconductivity of Quasi-Layered CuCrS2 Nanosheets

Abstract

The current need to accelerate the adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems has increased the need to explore new nanomaterials that can harvest and convert solar energy into electricity. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are good candidates because of their tunable physical and chemical properties. CuCrS2 has shown good electrical and thermoelectrical properties; however, its optical and photoconductivity properties remain unexplored. In this study, we synthesized CuCrS2 nanosheets with average dimensions of 43.6 ± 6.7 nm in length and 25.6 ± 4.1 nm in width using a heat-up synthesis approach and fabricated films by the spray-coating method to probe their photoresponse. This method yielded CuCrS2 nanosheets with an optical bandgap of ~1.21 eV. The fabricated film had an average thickness of ~570 nm, exhibiting a net current conversion efficiency of ~11.3%. These results demonstrate the potential use of CuCrS2 as an absorber layer in solar cells.

Thermoelectric and Magnetic Properties and Electronic Structure of Solid Solutions CuCr1-xLaxS2

“…Layered copper-chromium disulfide CuCrS 2 -and CuCrS 2 -based cationsubstituted solid solutions can be considered as multipurpose advanced functional materials. These compounds exhibit various promising functional properties and effects, including thermoelectricity [1][2][3][4][5][6][7], ionic conductivity [8][9][10] and the order-to-disorder transition (ODT) [9,[11][12][13], magnetoresistance [14,15] and the metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) [14,16], helimagnetic arrangement [17][18][19], light-absorbing [20] and luminescence properties [21], and ferroelectricity [22,23]. The combination of functional properties in CuCrS 2 -based solid solutions makes them promising materials for the fabrication of various electronic devices, including temperature sensors, thermoelectric generators (TEGs) [2,[5][6][7]24], solid-state current sources [8,9], magnetic field sensors [14], solid-state memory [18,22,23], and electric or magnetic-field-driven valves [14,22,23].…”

Thermoelectric Properties of Layered CuCr0.99Ln0.01S2 (Ln = La…Lu) Disulfides: Effects of Lanthanide Doping

“…The layered copper-chromium disulfide CuCrS 2 is considered a multipurpose functional material with a quasilayered structure formed by CrS 2 -layers separated by a van der Waals gap filled with copper ions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Some of the crystallographic sites in this gap are unfilled at room temperature [9][10][11].…”

The Charge Distribution, Seebeck Coefficient, and Carrier Concentration of CuCr0.99Ln0.01S2 (Ln = Dy–Lu)

“…The interlayer gap of AMX 2 can also be opened and filled with guest ions or molecules using a special synthesis approach [ 8 ]. However, cationic substitution is considered to be the most common synthesis route to enhance the functional properties of AMX 2 -based materials [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. In this context, the quasi-layered copper–chromium dichalcogenide CuCrS 2 and CuCrS 2 -based solid solutions are considered promising functional materials for their the ionic conductivity, specific electrical and magnetic properties, catalytic activity, and light-absorbing properties [ 10 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…However, cationic substitution is considered to be the most common synthesis route to enhance the functional properties of AMX 2 -based materials [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. In this context, the quasi-layered copper–chromium dichalcogenide CuCrS 2 and CuCrS 2 -based solid solutions are considered promising functional materials for their the ionic conductivity, specific electrical and magnetic properties, catalytic activity, and light-absorbing properties [ 10 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. CuCrS 2 -based solid solutions are currently of great interest due to their promising thermoelectric properties [ 10 , 11 , 18 , 20 ].…”