Abstract
•Solvothermal was used to fabricate Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) nanobars.•The effect of different hydrothermal temperatures on (Sb2S3) nanobars was investigated.•Sb2S3 nanobars in pure orthorhombic phase with good crystallinity.•Conversion efficiency of 3.54% was obtained.
In this work we will report on the preparation and study of good quality phase-pure Sb2S3 nanobars fabricated through a solvothermal method from solution containing SbCl3 and Na2S2O3. The influence of hydrothermal temperatures (Ht = 200,210,220 and 230 °C) on the structural, morphological and compositional properties of the nanobars were investigated using XRD, XPS, Raman, TEM, FESEM and UV spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and Raman results demonstrated an improvement in crystallinity, a Sb2S3 nanobars that was high purity and belonging to the orthorhombic phase. At an Ht = 230 °C, EDX spectrometry analysis peaks showed perfect stoichiometry for an atomic ratio of 2:3 for Sb: S. TEM results indicated that the appearance of the fabricated Sb2S3 was nanobar-like and grew along the [001] direction. Sb2S3 thin film base nanobars showed compact and smooth surfaces without pinholes or cracks with a grain size 1–3 µm. The optical absorption coefficient was more than 104 cm−1 leading to an optical energy gap (Eg) of 1.55 eV. A solar cell, glass/FTO/ Sb2S3/ CdS/ZnO/Ag, prepared with a Sb2S3 nanobars base thin film had a Voc = 451 mV, Jsc = 12.5 mA/cm2, FF = 62.8 and a solar energy conversion efficiency of 3.54%.