Room temperature synthesis of In2S3 micro- and nanorod textured thin films

Thin films of indium sulfide (In2S3) micro- and nanorods were successfully prepared by sulfurization of electrodeposited metal indium layers. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and UV–vis spectroscopy. From XRD and TEM observations it was concluded that the In2S3 nanorods and microrods have ∼50 nm and ∼0.5 μm diameter, respectively. A plausible top-growth mechanism was proposed for the formation of the nanorods in which the hydroxide layer was found to play an important role. The micro- and nanorods showed optical bandgap of ∼2.2 and ∼2.54 eV, respectively. This facile and cost effective method may be extended to fabricate other metal chalcogenide nanostructures on solid substrates.