Metal Sulfide Thin Films with Tunable Nanoporosity for Photocatalytic Applications

Abstract

Metal xanthates are widely used as single-source precursors for the formation of metal sulfide thin films. In this study, we explore the length of the alkyl ligand as an efficient tool to control the formation and the nanoporosity of zinc sulfide thin films. The presented approach allows us to prepare highly porous thin metal sulfide films with potential applications in photocatalysis, whereby the nanoporosity is significantly enhanced with an increasing number of carbons in the alkyl chain of the metal xanthate precursors. To gain knowledge about the mechanisms leading to the changes in the nanoporosity, the thermal conversion process toward the porous films is studied in detail by time-resolved simultaneous grazing incidence small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements using synchrotron radiation and thermogravimetric analysis. Thereby, we found that the structural changes during the early stages of the conversion process, which are distinctly influenced by the decomposition temperature of the metal xanthates, different growth regimes of the nanocrystals, and a mesophase formation, governed by the properties of the decomposition products of the metal xanthates, are mainly responsible for the changes of the structural properties and the nanoporosity of the final ZnS films.

Advances in surface modification and functionalization for tailoring the characteristics of thin films and membranes via chemical vapor deposition techniques

“…This is largely due to the exclusive features offered by the CVD techniques that enable formation of highly selective, uniform, and conformal thin coatings onto the surface. On account of these merits, application of CVD techniques for modification of thin films and membranes has grown significantly 12,13 . Figure 1 shows the number of publications as documents and patents generated in the field of CVD modifications of thin films and membranes during the period of 2010–2022.…”

“…On account of these merits, application of CVD techniques for modification of thin films and membranes has grown significantly. 12,13 Figure 1 shows the number of publications as documents and patents generated in the field of CVD modifications of thin films and membranes during the period of 2010-2022. It is interesting to note that the number of patents filed in this period are considerably larger than that of research and scientific documents.…”

Nanomaterials of Carbon and Metal Sulfides in Photocatalysis

“…The charge carriers in nanosized semiconductors migrate fast and participate in several photoprocesses, which include trapping and recombination [57,58]. Metal sulfides can be explored in the macrocrystalline form as photocatalysts, for example, in aqueous suspensions, membranes, and thin films [59][60][61]. However, in the past decades, there has been intense research on their use as nanocrystalline materials, namely due to the possibility to explore quantum-size effects, as mentioned above.…”

Honeycomb-structured copper indium sulfide thin films obtainedviaa nanosphere colloidal lithography method

“…While a minimum in the in-plane correlation length can also be recognized in the structured film, it is much less pronounced. Based on a previous study on a closely related materials system, 44 we ascribe this mesophase to an ordered structure formed by the decomposition products of the metal xanthates during the first stage of the nanocrystal growth.…”