Charge Carrier Transport in Iron Pyrite Thin Films: Disorder-Induced Variable-Range Hopping

The origin of p-type conductivity and the mechanism responsible for low carrier mobility were investigated in pyrite (FeS2) thin films. Temperature-dependent resistivity measurements (10–400 K) were performed on polycrystalline and nanostructured thin films prepared by three different methods: (1) s...

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Published inJournal of physical chemistry. C Vol. 127; no. 37; pp. 18619 - 18629
Main Authors Shukla, Sudhanshu, Mathew, Sinu, Choe, Hwan Sung, Chugh, Manjusha, Kühne, Thomas D., Mirhosseini, Hossein, Wu, Junqiao, Venkatesan, Thirumalai, Sritharan, Thirumany, Ager, Joel W.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Chemical Society 21.09.2023
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ISSN1932-7447
1932-7455
DOI10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c03105

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Summary:The origin of p-type conductivity and the mechanism responsible for low carrier mobility were investigated in pyrite (FeS2) thin films. Temperature-dependent resistivity measurements (10–400 K) were performed on polycrystalline and nanostructured thin films prepared by three different methods: (1) spray pyrolysis, (2) hot-injection synthesized and spin-coated nanocubes, and (3) pulsed laser deposition. The films have a high hole density (1018–1019) cm–3 and low mobility (0.1–4 cm2 V–1 s–1) regardless of the method used for their preparation. The charge transport mechanism is determined to be thermally activated conduction (TAC) at near room temperature, with Mott-type variable-range hopping (VRH) of holes via localized states occurring at lower temperatures. The density functional theory (DFT) predicts that sulfur vacancy induces localized defect states within the band gap and the charge remains localized around the defect. The data indicates that the electronic properties including hopping transport in pyrite thin films can be correlated to sulfur vacancy-related defects. The results provide insights into the electronic properties of pyrite thin films and their implications for charge transport.
Bibliography:USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division (MSE)
AC02-05CH11231
ISSN:1932-7447
1932-7455
DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c03105