COLLOIDAL CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF QUATERNARY SEMICONDUCTOR CU2FESNS4 (CFTS) NANOPARTICLES: ABSORBER MATERIALS FOR THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Nanoparticles of the environmentally benign Cu-based quaternary chalcogenide compound Cu2FeSnS4 (CFTS) were successfully synthesized by a low-cost and simple reaction method and the obtained powder (nanoparticles) has been spin coated as a thin film over the FTO substrate. The prepared samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman analysis, UV–Vis spectroscopy, and Field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (FE-SEM–EDX). The results of the analyses confirm that the obtained nanoparticles are good crystalline nature with tetragonal structure. Morphological images show that the synthesized CFTS nanoparticles are closely packed with slight agglomeration. The UV–Vis absorption spectrum reveals that the nanoparticles have wide absorption ranging in the visible region and optical energy bandgap has been calculated using Tauc’s plot. The calculated energy bandgap is 1.32 eV, which indicates their potential as promising materials for photovoltaic application. The electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The fabricated solar cell was electrochemically characterized by current–voltage (I–V) measurements under simulated AM 1.5 illumination. In the present study, the CFTS-based solar cell with a structure FTO/ZnO/CdS/CFTS has been fabricated, which exhibits the solar power conversion efficiency of 1.32%, and has been reported.