Control of composition and grain growth in Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films from nanoparticle inks

Ataollahi, Narges; Malerba, Claudia; Cappelletto, Elisa; Ciancio, Regina; Edla, Raju; Maggio, R. Di; Scardi, Paolo

doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2019.02.004

Cited by 26 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…At TT 350 °C, only cubic CZTS phase formed [40]. At TT 500 °C, a tetragonal (distinctive peaks at 2θ = ~18.9°, ~21.3°, and ~38.5°) [15,41] peak formed, and also a secondary phase, tin (II) sulfide (SnS), formed having main peaks at 2θ = ~25.8°, ~30.4°, ~31.9°, ~35.6°, ~36.8°, ~37.2°, and ~45.7°. It was demonstrated [40] that when the nanocrystals of CZTS are very small, they can be cubic or hexagonal, and with an increasing size, one observes cubic only, which evolve to the thermodynamically stable tetragonal form when crystals are big enough.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Resistivity of tetragonal CZTS is lower than other CZTS phases [53], and grain growth and refining are promoted by high-temperature TTs, reducing the amount of defects [21]. However, the large difference observed in resistivity and carrier concentration most probably depends on the presence of organic residuals in the lower temperature TTs [15].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…CZTS nanoparticles ink was prepared according to the method described by Ataollahi et al [15]: 0.538 g of CuCl 2 ·2H 2 O, 0.414 g of ZnCl 2 , and 0.410 g of SnCl 2 were mixed into a 100 mL three-neck round-bottom flask containing 6.6 mL of OLA. The system was connected to a Schlenk line apparatus to carry out the whole process in standard, air-free conditions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies demonstrated that solvents can affect the final shape of CZTS nanoparticles [12,13], whereas the sulfur source and reaction temperature can affect the crystal structure [14]. Actually, a simple approach based on metal chlorides, sulfur powder and oleylamine (OLA), playing a double role of solvent and complexing agent, has been already proposed [4,15] to produce quaternary CZTS nanoparticles on the gram scale. A similar method has been successfully employed for producing CZTS nanoparticles for solar cell applications, with a device efficiency up to 10.3 % [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Solution-Based Synthesis and Characterization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Thin Films

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) ink was synthesized from metal chloride precursors, sulfur, and oleylamine (OLA), as a ligand by a simple and low-cost hot-injection method. Thin films of CZTS were then prepared by spin coating, followed by thermal annealing. The effects of the fabrication parameters, such as ink concentration, spinning rate, and thermal treatment temperatures on the morphology and structural, optical, and electrical properties of the films were investigated. As expected, very thin films, for which the level of transmittance and band-gap values increase, can be obtained either by reducing the concentration of the inks or by increasing the rate of spinning. Moreover, the thermal treatment affects the phase formation and crystallinity of the film, as well as the electrical conductivity, which decreases at a higher temperature.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Solution-Based Synthesis and Characterization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Thin Films

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Nanostructured kesterite is usually produced by chemical synthesis [27,28]. This approach typically requires a thermal treatment well above the critical temperature, and a slow cooling down to obtain, to the extent possible, defect-free and ordered crystals, deemed appropriate for the performance of thin film solar cells [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the Order-Disorder Transition on the Seebeck Coefficient of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Cu2ZnSnS4

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bulk samples of kesterite (Cu2ZnSnS4, CZTS) were produced by cold-pressing and sintering of CZTS powders obtained via reactive ball-milling. An increase in the Seebeck coefficient of more than 100 μV/K, almost doubling the expected value, is noticed around a temperature of 260 °C. As pointed out by thermal analyses, this is due to a second order transition of kesterite from an ordered I-4 to a disordered I-42m crystal structure. Conversely to what happens for solar cell materials, where the transition is considered to be detrimental for the performance, it appears to be beneficial for the thermoelectric Seebeck coefficient, suggesting that higher crystal symmetry and cation-disorder due to the transition lead to thermopower enhancement.

show abstract

Role of triethanolamine in forming Cu ₂ ZnSnS ₄ nanoparticles during solvothermal processing for solar cell applications

Al‒Hadeethi

Mkawi

Al‐Hartomy

et al. 2022

Intl J of Energy Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Herein, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticles were synthesized utilizing different amounts of triethanolamine (TEA) (2, 3, 4, and 5 mg/mL) via a simple solvothermal method. The TEA concentration's influence on the structure, phase formation, morphology, and composition of the CZTS nanoparticles was studied using various experimental techniques. XRD and Raman spectroscopy analyses indicated that the obtained product consisted of single‐phase CZTS nanoparticles with a kesterite structure and average crystal size of 33 to 43 nm; no secondary phases were detected. The TEM analysis revealed the powder nature of the nanoparticles and confirmed their crystallinity. The Zn‐rich and Cu‐poor composition and high sample purity were detected using EDX and confirmed by XPS analysis. The nanoparticles' energy band was between 1.54 and 1.75 eV, and their absorption coefficient exceeded 104 cm−1 in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. FE‐SEM of the CZTS nanoparticles‐based thin film revealed its compact, smooth, and uniform morphology with no voids or cracks; the thin film was covered with grains approximately 3 μm in size. A devices with an SLG/Mo/CZTS/CdS/i‐ZnO/Al:ZnO/Al structure were fabricated using CZTS particles synthesized with a TEA concentration of 5 mg/mL, and the best device demonstrated a solar conversion efficiency of 4.33%.

show abstract

Control of composition and grain growth in Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films from nanoparticle inks

Cited by 26 publications

References 52 publications

Solution-Based Synthesis and Characterization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Thin Films

Solution-Based Synthesis and Characterization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Thin Films

Effect of the Order-Disorder Transition on the Seebeck Coefficient of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Cu2ZnSnS4

Role of triethanolamine in forming Cu ₂ ZnSnS ₄ nanoparticles during solvothermal processing for solar cell applications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Control of composition and grain growth in Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films from nanoparticle inks

Cited by 26 publications

References 52 publications

Solution-Based Synthesis and Characterization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Thin Films

Solution-Based Synthesis and Characterization of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) Thin Films

Effect of the Order-Disorder Transition on the Seebeck Coefficient of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Cu2ZnSnS4

Role of triethanolamine in forming Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 nanoparticles during solvothermal processing for solar cell applications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Role of triethanolamine in forming Cu ₂ ZnSnS ₄ nanoparticles during solvothermal processing for solar cell applications