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- Title
Synthetic Mn-substituted analogues of stannite Cu2(Fex−1Mnx)SnS4 – alternative photovoltaic and photocatalytic material.
- Authors
Waluś, Edyta; Manecki, Maciej
- Abstract
To be sustainable, future electronic materials must deliver desirable optoelectronic propertieswhile containing only abundant and benign elements. Semiconductor properties of stanniteCu2FeSnS4 make it a potential candidate for application as an absorber layer in thin filmsolar cells. In the nature, it is a common sulfide mineral which is formed as a result ofhydrothermal processes. Its crystal structure allows for numerous substitutions includingreplacement of Fe by Mn. The aim of this study is development of a simple method of synthesis of stanniteanalogues and validation of the effect of Mn2+ substitution for Fe2+ in the series ofCu2(Fex−1Mnx)SnS4 on the crystal structure and optoelectronic properties. Six members ofthe series were cost-effectively synthesized by hydrothermal reactions of metalsalts and sulfur in hot ethylene glycol at presence PVP solution in an autoclave at195oC. The products were identified with powder X-ray diffraction and analyzedwith electron microscopy SEM/EDS and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD patternsof the synthesized nanoparticles correspond to stannite structure with reflectionscoming from (112), (200), (204), and (312) planes shifted systematically with theextent of substitution. The increase of the lattice parameters and lattice volume is inagreement with the increasing ionic radius of the substituting element (Mn2+=83pm,Fe2+=78pm). It is evident from SEM imaging that the aggregates of nanocrystals displaycharacteristic, nearly spherical shape with concentric structure. The average sizeof grains is ca. 1 ±0.5 μm. Raman spectroscopy confirms the phase purity of theprecipitates. In summary, pure members of Cu2(Fex−1Mnx)SnS4 solid solution series can besuccessfully synthesized via a relatively simple hydrothermal method. The composition of thefinal product can be precisely controlled by the composition of the reactants. The synthesisresults in pure and promising material of uniform morphology. The crystal structure of thephases is similar to the established CIGS type photovoltaic materials. Future work willconcentrate on photoelectronic properties and application in photocatalysis. Photocatalyticprocesses using semiconductor materials have attracted much attention as a promisingadvanced oxidation technology to decompose refractory pollutants in the environmentalapplication. This work is partially funded by Polish budget funds for science in 2017 - 2019 as aresearch project No DI2016 004946 under "Diamond Grant" program. MM is partiallyfunded by AGH research grant No 11.11.140.158.
- Subjects
LATTICE constants; SEMICONDUCTOR materials; X-ray powder diffraction; SULFIDE minerals; SCANNING electron microscopy; CRYSTAL structure; SULFIDE ores
- Publication
Geophysical Research Abstracts, 2019, Vol 21, p1
- ISSN
1029-7006
- Publication type
Article