Solvothermal synthesis of CZTS nanoparticles in ethanol: Preparation and characterization

In this work, a low-cost, non-toxic and convenient one-pot solvothermal route to synthesize Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) nanoparticles is reported. The effects of solvothermal temperature and reaction time on the structure, morphology and optical properties of the as-synthesized product were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that the crystallinity of the CZTS powders was influenced by the solvothermal temperature and reaction time. The band gap of selected CZTS samples was near the optimum value for photovoltaic solar conversion in a single-band-gap device.