Synthesis and characterizations of quaternary Cu2FeSnS4 nanocrystals

Abstract

Quaternary tetragonal Cu(2)FeSnS(4) nanocrystals have been synthesized by a simple hot-injection method. Detailed characterizations have been made. A suitable optical band gap of 1.28 ± 0.02 eV and a notable and stable photoelectrochemical response indicate their potential for application in solar cells.

Mechanochemical Solvent-Free Synthesis of Quaternary Semiconductor Cu-Fe-Sn-S Nanocrystals

“…Figure 3 shows the corresponding spectrum which exhibits a broad absorption in the whole visible region. Similar spectra have been reported in several papers dealing with the optical properties of the CFTS [8, 14, 16, 18, 23]. The bandgap energy of the CFTS sample was determined by plotting the square of absorption coefficient ( α ) times photon energy ( h ν) vs. h ν, according to the formula αhν  =  α ( hν  −  E g ) n /2 , where α , h , ν , E g and A are the optical absorption coefficient, Planck’s constant, light frequency, bandgap energy, and a constant, respectively [9].…”

Solar cell material Cu2FeSnS4 nanoparticles synthesized via a facile liquid reflux method

“…However, the toxic elements restrict their further development and the use of rare elements increases the production costs. Recently, quaternary semiconductor Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS), Cu 2 ZnSnSe 4 (CZTSe), and CFTS receive increasing attention due to their potential applications in photovoltaic [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Among them, CFTS is considered to be one of the most promising candidates as a light absorber in thin film solar cells for its suitable optical band gap of 1.1-1.54 eV and high absorption coefficient of $10 À 4 cm À 1 [5][6][7][8][9].…”

“…Up to now, various methods have been reported for the fabrication of CFTS, such as hot-injection solution synthesis method [5,6,9], solvothermal synthesis method [7], solutionbased synthesis method [8], hydrothermal reaction route [10], rapid microwave nonaqueous synthesis method [11], colloidal synthesis method [12,13], solid state reaction synthesis method [3] and so on. Hot-injection solution synthesis method is one of the most commonly used methods to prepare CFTS nanocrystals.…”

Thin Film Solar Cells Using Earth-Abundant Materials

“…Cu 2 FeSnS 4 (CFTS) with Stannite structure can also be a viable alternative and there are some recent reports of growing CFTS nanocrystals [133,134]. The bandgap of CFTS was found to be ~ 1.28 eV with p-type conductivity [134].…”