Colloidal Synthesis, Characterization, and Photoconductivity of Quasi-Layered CuCrS<sub>2</sub> Nanosheets

The current need to accelerate the adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems has increased the need to explore new nanomaterials that can harvest and convert solar energy into electricity. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are good candidates because of their tunable physical and chemical propert...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jose J. Sanchez Rodriguez, Andrea N. Nunez Leon, Jabeen Abbasi, Pravin S. Shinde, Igor Fedin, Arunava Gupta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-11-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/23/4164
Description
Summary:The current need to accelerate the adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems has increased the need to explore new nanomaterials that can harvest and convert solar energy into electricity. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are good candidates because of their tunable physical and chemical properties. CuCrS<sub>2</sub> has shown good electrical and thermoelectrical properties; however, its optical and photoconductivity properties remain unexplored. In this study, we synthesized CuCrS<sub>2</sub> nanosheets with average dimensions of 43.6 ± 6.7 nm in length and 25.6 ± 4.1 nm in width using a heat-up synthesis approach and fabricated films by the spray-coating method to probe their photoresponse. This method yielded CuCrS<sub>2</sub> nanosheets with an optical bandgap of ~1.21 eV. The fabricated film had an average thickness of ~570 nm, exhibiting a net current conversion efficiency of ~11.3%. These results demonstrate the potential use of CuCrS<sub>2</sub> as an absorber layer in solar cells.
ISSN:2079-4991