Aqueous Synthesis of Cu2ZnSnSe4 Nanocrystals

Abstract

Copper zinc tin selenide (CZTSe) nanocrystal inks show promise as a candidate for developing cheap, scalable, efficient, and nontoxic photovoltaic devices. They also present an important opportunity to controllably mix copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) with CZTSe to produce directly spectrally tunable Cu 2 ZnSn(S/Se) 4 (CZTSSe) solid-solutions using low-temperature processes. Herein, we describe a one-pot, low-temperature, aqueous-based synthesis that employs simultaneous redox and crystal formation reactions to yield CZTSe nanocrystal inks stabilized by Sn 2 Se 76- and thiourea. This versatile CZTSe synthesis is understood through the use of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Raman ..