Greener Synthesis of CZTS: Structural, KPFM studies

Abstract Copper Zinc Tin sulfide (CZTS) has shown promising performance as an absorber semiconductor for solar cell devices. Due to its multicomponent nature, low cost synthesis method results in presence of secondary phases, which is nagging issue it affects optoelectronic properties. In this study, we have achieved the growth of phase pure CZTS nanorods by using appropriate amount of salt concentration in stating solution and optimized temperature CZTS nanorods have been grown by hydrothermal process with Ethylenediamine (EDA) as solvent using optimum constituent salt concentration amount at temperature 200 °C upto 72 hrs. XRD and Raman analysis confirm that grown samples having keseterite phase without any extra impurities. HRTEM images of CZTS nanorod show interplanar spacing of around 0.332 nm having good agreement with XRD results. KPFM method provides information about topography and local work function at nanometric scale. It has been observed that surface potential of CZTS nanorods varies as function of nanorod diameter. Presence of grain boundaries, change in the carrier concentration at the surface, surface defects and variation of chemical composition at surface together results change in surface potential values along. These results are important in terms of the application of CZTS nanorods in solar cell applications.