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Effect of sulfur precursors on structural, optical, and electrical properties of Cu2SnS3 nanoparticles

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Abstract

Cu2SnS3 (CTS) is an earth-abundant, non-toxic, and eco-friendly semiconductor that makes it promising for various potential optoelectronic applications, including photovoltaics and photodetectors. In this study, the synthesis of CTS nanoparticles by the solvothermal method using different sulfur precursors is reported. The influences of sulfur precursors on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of prepared CTS material are deeply investigated and discussed. Changing the sulfur precursor source has shown noticeable effects on the obtained CTS crystallite size, the formed secondary phases, as well as the CTS nanoparticles morphology. For instance, thiourea is the only sulfur source that was able to produce directly cubic CTS without post-thermal treatment. In contrast, other sulfur sources produce CTS nanoparticles after sulfurization at 580 °C. XRD and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to study the morphological and structural characteristics of the prepared CTS samples. UV–visible spectroscopy measurements and the Hall-effect technique were used to evaluate the optical and electronic properties of the samples. Changing the sulfur precursors was found to have predominant effects on the CTS nanoparticles’ structural, optical, and electronic properties. Interestingly, CTS nanoparticles with an optical bandgap in the range from 1.4 to 1.7 eV and particle size from 11.21 to 21.23 nm along with the crystallographic phase could be tuned with only changing the sulfur precursor.

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The datasets analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Egypt, for their financial support and offering the necessary facilities and tools.

Funding

This work was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Egypt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), New Borg El Arab City, 21934, Alexandria, Egypt

    Mohamed S. Abdel-Latif & A. Abdel-Moniem

  2. Engineering Physics and Mathematics Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Tanta, 31511, Egypt

    Mohamed S. Abdel-Latif

  3. Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt

    A. Rezk

  4. Institute of Basic and Applied Sciences, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, New Borg El Arab City, 21934, Alexandria, Egypt

    A. Rezk & A. Abdel-Moniem

  5. Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, 71516, Egypt

    N. M. Shaalan

  6. Department of Physics, College of Science, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 400, Al-Hassa, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    N. M. Shaalan

  7. Department of Mathematical and Physical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Shoubra, Benha University, Cairo, 11614, Egypt

    Amr Hessein

  8. Graphene Center of Excellence for Energy and Electronic Applications, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology, Alexandria, 21934, Egypt

    A. Abdel-Moniem & Amr Hessein

Authors
  1. Mohamed S. Abdel-Latif
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  2. A. Rezk
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  3. N. M. Shaalan
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  4. A. Abdel-Moniem
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  5. Amr Hessein
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Contributions

MA analyzed and interpreted the data regarding the structural, optical, and electrical properties of prepared CTS powder. AR performed the electrical and optical measurements of the samples. AH was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. NS made the first revision. AA made a final revision for all the work and manuscript writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mohamed S. Abdel-Latif.

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Abdel-Latif, M.S., Rezk, A., Shaalan, N.M. et al. Effect of sulfur precursors on structural, optical, and electrical properties of Cu2SnS3 nanoparticles. J Nanopart Res 23, 216 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-021-05326-x

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