A facile and scalable route to nano-crystallized kesterite Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} fibers via electrospinning/sulfurization

Journal Article · Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Materials Research Bulletin

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATERRESBULL.2014.10.069· OSTI ID:22420786

Song, Yuanqiang; Liu, Aifang; Mu, Chunhong; Huo, Weirong; Lv, Weiqiang; He, Weidong

Detailed characterization of the microstructure and its properties have been done on the nanocrystallized CZTS nanofibers fabricated via electrospinning following sulfurization. The fiber growth mechanism is proposed to explain the spontaneous reaction and crystallization of CZTS, as confirmed by the thermodynamic calculations. - Abstract: In this work, we report facile route to quaternary kesterite Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) microfibers through electrospinning method. Precursor fibers are electrospun from the solution composed of Cu(CH{sub 3}COO){sub 2}, Zn(CH{sub 3}COO){sub 2{sup ,}} and SnCl{sub 4} as the solutes, ethylene glycol methyl ether as the solvent, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the plasticizer. CZTS fibers are obtained after annealing at 773 K for 40 min in a sulfur ambient. Characterization including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectra, confirm the formation of single-phased, well-crystallized CZTS fibers, with a band gap of about 1.48 eV estimated from the optical absorption curve. In addition, the fiber growth mechanism is proposed to explain the spontaneous reaction and crystallization of CZTS, as confirmed by the thermodynamic calculations.

• OSTI ID: 22420786
• Journal Information: Materials Research Bulletin, Vol. 61; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0025-5408
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
COPPER COMPOUNDS
CRYSTALLIZATION
GLYCOLS
METHYL ETHER
MICROSTRUCTURE
NANOFIBERS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PVP
RAMAN SPECTRA
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SOLVENTS
TIN CHLORIDES
TIN SULFIDES
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ZINC COMPOUNDS