Room temperature synthesis of crystalline Sb2S3 for SnO2 photoanode-based solar cell application

The preparation of crystalline antimony sulphide (Sb2S3) by chemical route at room temperature was reported in this paper. The structural, morphological and optical properties of as-synthesized sample were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the orthorhombic crystal phase for prepared Sb2S3. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show uniform, dense spherical morphology having diameter around 200–220 nm. Energy band gap calculated from optical absorption spectra was observed around 2.17 eV. Contact angle measurement confirms the hydrophilic nature of the deposited film. The photoluminescence analysis shows low green luminescence as well as Stoke’s shift for as-prepared Sb2S3. The nanostructured solar cell is fabricated for energy harvesting purpose with Sb2S3-sensitized SnO2 photoanode and polysulphide electrolyte. The solar cell with FTO/SnO2/Sb2S3 photoanode shows V OC ∼ 240 mV, J sc ∼ 0.640 mA cm−2 and FF ∼ 35%. The working mechanism and energy level diagram of Sb2S3/SnO2 system have been discussed.