Photo-electrochemical performance of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ thin films prepared via successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method

In this report, we have prepared the Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films by a simple and cost effective successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique. The layer by layer deposition of CZTS thin films were carried out by SILAR method. The number of SILAR cycles and the sequence of the binary chalcogenides was optimized to get better photo-electrochemical (PEC) performance of CZTS thin films. Meanwhile, the different physicochemical characterization tools such as XRD, Raman were used to identify the phase and purity of the synthesized samples. The XRD and Raman studies confirmed the phase purity of the CZTS thin film deposited with Cu2S as underneath and ZnS as topmost or bottom layer. The surface morphological study reveals the uniform, compact microstructure of as prepared CZTS thin films. Meanwhile, the chemical composition and microstructures of material plays vital role in photovoltaic performance, including photo-electrochemical (PEC) conversion. In our report, we found uniform CZTS microstructure without any secondary phases; which utilize the visible light illumination to generate the electrical signals via chemical reactions with European nitrate as a redox mediator.