Fabrication of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) by co-electrodeposition of Cu-Zn-Sn alloys, and effect of chemical composition of CZTS on their photoelectrochemical water splitting

Mitsuru Tanaka; Yuya Hirose; Yoshiyuki Harada; Masanari Takahashi; Yoshihisa Sakata; Shinya Higashimoto

Results in Chemistry (Jan 2023)

Fabrication of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) by co-electrodeposition of Cu-Zn-Sn alloys, and effect of chemical composition of CZTS on their photoelectrochemical water splitting

Mitsuru Tanaka,
Yuya Hirose,
Yoshiyuki Harada,
Masanari Takahashi,
Yoshihisa Sakata,
Shinya Higashimoto

Affiliations

Mitsuru Tanaka: Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
Yuya Hirose: Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan
Yoshiyuki Harada: Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku Osaka 535-8585, Japan; Nanomaterials Microdevices Research Center, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku Osaka 535-8585, Japan
Masanari Takahashi: Osaka Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 1-6-50 Morinomiya, Joto-ku, Osaka 536-8553, Japan
Yoshihisa Sakata: Graduate School of Science and Technology for Innovation, Yamaguchi University, 2-16-1 Tokiwadai, Ube 755-8611, Japan
Shinya Higashimoto: Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, 5-16-1 Omiya, Asahi-ku, Osaka 535-8585, Japan; Corresponding author.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 5
p. 100900

Abstract

Read online

Sulfide kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS), an intrinsic p-type semiconductor, provides an attractive low-cost, environmentally friendly photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting to evolve hydrogen. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of the chemical composition of CZTS on the PEC properties and the correlation with their structures. The CZTS was fabricated on a Mo/glass by a non-vacuum process, i.e., co-electrodeposition (co-ED) of Cu-Zn-Sn (CZT) alloys, followed by sulfurization with solid sulfur. To optimize the chemical composition of CZTS, the bath concentrations, applied potentials and amounts of electric charge for preparation conditions of the CZT precursors were examined. The CZTS with Cu-poor and Sn-rich composition compared with stoichiometry was found to exhibit relatively effective PEC water splitting. It was suggested that the high PEC performance was attributed to efficient charge carrier transport due to the presence of a small amount of SnO2 phase on the CZTS surface.

Published in Results in Chemistry

ISSN: 2211-7156 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/results-in-chemistry/

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords