Structural and optical characterizations of Cu2SnS3 nanoparticles and the electrochemical studies

Abstract

Ternary Cu2SnS3 (CTS) nanostructures were prepared via a simple solvothermal method using copper(II) dithiocarbamate and organotin(IV) dithiocarbamate as precursor complexes, and oleic acid as the capping agent at 220 °C. The concentration of the copper complex was varied in order to investigate the effect of the change in the concentration of the complex on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CTS particles. The nanoparticles were characterized by optical and structural techniques. Pure phase monoclinic Cu2SnS3 nanoparticles were obtained at equimolar concentration of the precursor complexes and mixed phases of Cu2SnS3 and Cu4SnS4 as the concentration of the copper complex increased. The nanoparticles (NPs) showed agglomerated spherical morphology and band gap energies in the range 1.0–1.5 eV. The redox responses of the CTS NPs modified screen plate carbon electrode (SPCE) was studied and the electrochemical parameters revealed that they possessed good electro-catalytic properties, indicating the potential of the material for further study in sensor applications.

Keywords

• Copper tin sulphide
• Solvothermal synthesis
• Capping agent
• Phase changes
• Cyclic voltammetry