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One-pot thermolysis synthesis of CuInS2 nanoparticles with chalcopyrite-wurtzite polytypism structure

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Abstract

CuInS2 nanoparticles as the visible (wurtzite, 1.67 eV) or near infrared (chalcopyrite, 1.50 eV) light absorbing material in thin film solar cells, were synthesized using facile, one step heating up method by dissolving of CuCl, InCl3 and SC(NH2)2 as precursors in oleylamine (OLA) alone or in combination with oleic acid (OA) and 1-octadecene (ODE) as solvent. The phase, size, morphology, and size distribution were controlled by the coordination ability between solvent molecules and metal precursors, reaction temperature and time. The presence of higher amounts of thiourea or OA to OLA led to the formation of chalcopyrite phase in comparison to wurtzite structure. Also, higher reaction temperatures (>240 °C) resulted in favour of more chalcopyrite phase and higher crystallinity but the nanoparticles got agglomerated. As synthesized nanoparticles was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high resolution-transmission electronic microscopy, ultraviolet–visible-near infrared, photoluminescence. The high resolution TEM confirmed the existence of chalcopyrite structure along with wurtzite structure in the nanocrystal (polytypism). Well controlled chalcopyrite CuInS2 triangular pyramidal shape with an average size ranging from ~10–20 nm size was obtained by using 20 ml OLA or 20 ml OLA along with 4 ml OA and ODE, respectively, with 210 °C heating up and 4 h annealing time.

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Acknowledgments

This research was defined and supported by from the Iran university of Science and Technology. This research was supported by Professor Wolfgang Tremel at Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Metallurgy and Material Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, 16844, Iran

    Yaser Vahidshad, Seyed Mohammad Mirkazemi & Reza Ghasemzadeh

  2. Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, 55099, Mainz, Germany

    Muhammad Nawaz Tahir & Wolfgang Tremel

  3. Department of Physics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, 11365-9161, Iran

    Azam Iraji Zad

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  1. Yaser Vahidshad
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  2. Muhammad Nawaz Tahir
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Vahidshad, Y., Tahir, M.N., Mirkazemi, S.M. et al. One-pot thermolysis synthesis of CuInS2 nanoparticles with chalcopyrite-wurtzite polytypism structure. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 26, 8960–8972 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-3579-x

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