Chemical bath deposition of SnS:Cu/ZnS for solar hydrogen production and solar cells

SnS:Cu sheet-like thin films were firstly prepared in acidic solution by chemical bath deposition (CBD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterized the morphologies of SnS:Cu thin films. X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and Raman spectra examined their phase purities. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) evaluated the valance states of elements in the films. UV-Vis-NIR diffuse reflection spectra determined their bandgaps to be 1.41-1.48 eV. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements indicated that the photocurrent of SnS:Cu (20 at%) thin films had good photo-electronic responses. The fabrication of FTO/SnS:Cu (20% at)/ZnS/TiO2/Pt photocathode improved the PEC performance greatly and the photocurrent as high as 1.76 mA/cm(2) had been achieved. SnS:Cu thin film solar cells were also fabricated and a power conversion efficiency of 0.3% had been achieved. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

SnS:Cu sheet-like thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition, characterized by various analytical techniques, showing good photoelectrochemical performance. The fabrication of FTO/SnS:Cu/ZnS/TiO2/Pt photocathode greatly improved the PEC performance, with a photocurrent as high as 1.76 mA/cm(2), and a power conversion efficiency of 0.3% was achieved in SnS:Cu thin film solar cells.