Microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis and characterization of nanostructured Cu2SnS3 architectures

Abstract

The ternary Cu-Sn-S system, as an important I-IV-VI group semiconductor with small or mid band-gap, have attracted great attention owing to broad application in photovoltaic devices and H2 evolution under visible light irradiation. In this contribution, Cu2SnS3 nanostructures were successfully synthesized by microwave-assisted solvothermal route in a short time, using CuCl2.2H2O, SnCl2.2H2O and thiourea as starting chemicals. The influence of solvent on structure, morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The morphology of products can be tuned from flowerlike to sphere-like by using diethyleneglycol instead of ethyleneglycol as a solvent, while the cubic crystal structure remain unchanged.