Title :
Investigating the preparation parameters during the synthesis of CuInS2 thin film photoelectrodes
Author :
Yiming Tang ; Yun Hau Ng ; Amal, Rose
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Chem. Eng., Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Abstract :
Effects of electrodeposition time during the n-type CuInS2 thin film electrodes synthesis was studied in this work. All the CuInS2 thin film were fabricated via a single-step electrodeposition of Cu/In/S precursors on a transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate and calcined in a reducing gas atmosphere at 500 °C without using the toxic H2S gas for sulfurization. Thirty minute deposition time was the optimum condition based on the morphological features observed in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and the highest anodic photocurrent generated upon visible light illumination in the photoelectrochemical (PEC) test. The optical properties characterization revealed the CuInS2 thin films to have a direct bandgap of 1.42 eV, which confirmed the visible light active properties in the PEC performance.
Keywords :
calcination; copper compounds; electrodeposition; energy gap; indium compounds; photoconductivity; photoelectrochemistry; scanning electron microscopy; semiconductor growth; semiconductor thin films; ternary semiconductors; CuInS2; SEM images; SnO2:F; anodic photocurrent; calcination; direct bandgap; electrodeposition time effects; optical property characterization; photoelectrochemical test; preparation parameters; reducing gas atmosphere; scanning electron microscope; single-step electrodeposition; sulfurization; temperature 500 degC; thin film photoelectrode synthesis; toxic gas; transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide substrate; visible light active properties; visible light illumination; Electrodes; Films; Lighting; Photoconductivity; Substrates; Surface morphology; Surface treatment; CuInS2; deposition time; photoelectrochemical properties; single-step; thin film;
Conference_Titel :
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICONN), 2014 International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Adelaide, SA
DOI :
10.1109/ICONN.2014.6965247