Ahmad R, Nicholson KS, Nawaz Q, Peukert W, Distaso M (2017)
Publication Status: Published
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2017
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Book Volume: 19
Article Number: 238
Journal Issue: 7
DOI: 10.1007/s11051-017-3932-5
Kesterites (CZT(S,Se)4) emerged as a favourable photovoltaic material, leading to solar cell efficiencies as high as 12.7%. The development of sustainable roll-to-roll printing processes that make use of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nanoparticle inks requires the proper design of synthetic approaches and the understanding of the relation between process parameters and product purity. In the current paper, we developed this relationship by calculating a specific energy factor. A microwave-assisted synthetic method that operates at atmospheric pressure and makes use of eco-friendly solvents is established. Four solvents, i.e. ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (di-EG), triethylene glycol (tri-EG) and tetraethylene glycol (tet-EG) are compared and the temperature during the reaction is assessed by two different methods. In particular, two by-products have been identified, i.e. Cu2$-$x S and a hexagonal phase. We show that the variation of reaction parameters such as power irradiation, type of solvent and precursor concentration influences the nanoparticles' sizes (from 12 to 6 nm) and also the temperature-time profile of reaction which, in turn, can be related to phase purity of CZTS nanoparticles. The results suggest that the product purity scales with the specific energy factor providing a useful tool to a rational design of high-quality CZTS nanoparticles.
APA:
Ahmad, R., Nicholson, K.S., Nawaz, Q., Peukert, W., & Distaso, M. (2017). Correlation between product purity and process parameters for the synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticles using microwave irradiation. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 19(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-017-3932-5
MLA:
Ahmad, Rameez, et al. "Correlation between product purity and process parameters for the synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanoparticles using microwave irradiation." Journal of Nanoparticle Research 19.7 (2017).
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