Correlation between structural, morphological and optical properties of Bi2S3 thin films deposited by various aqueous and non-aqueous chemical bath deposition methods

• Published in: Results in physics Vol. 40; p. 105817
• Main Authors: Fazal, Tanzeela, Iqbal, Shahid, Shah, Mazloom, Ismail, Bushra, Shaheen, Nusrat, Alharthi, Abdulrahman I., Awwad, Nasser S., Ibrahium, Hala A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.09.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bismuth sulphide; Morphology; Optical properties; Reaction mechanism; Thin films; X-ray diffraction; Thin films; X-ray diffraction; Reaction mechanism; Bismuth sulphide; Morphology; Optical properties
• ISSN: 2211-3797; 2211-3797
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rinp.2022.105817

[Display omitted] •The structural and optical characteristics of Bi2S3 materials are improved via chemical bath deposition in this study.•Because the morphological, optical, and structural features of Bi2S3 vary depending on the deposition circumstances.•Because of differences in precursors, solvents, and complexing agents, ions are arranged into preferred planes.•With a band gap of 1.22 to 1.24 eV, the synthesized samples had an absorbance coefficient ranging from 0.16 to 1.3 × 104 (cm−1).•Thin films deposited with absorbance coefficients and band gap values have photovoltaic potential. Patterning the thin films according to specifications is of utmost importance. Previous studies have revealed that optimizing the various parameters such as thickness, complexing agents, precursors, and morphology to get the thin films according to demand. The current emphasis of this research activity on Bi2S3 materials is the improvement in structural and optical properties by chemical bath deposition on one hand, while on the other hand, detailed characterization of the synthesized morphologies is carried out for a better understanding of the features of the said material. Based on the fact that morphological, optical, and structural properties of Bi2S3 vary with deposition conditions, the current study focuses on optimum values of different deposition parameters in aqueous and non-aqueous baths with different precursors and complexing agents to vary the deposition environment of the thin films. The effect of complexing agents, i.e., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and triethanolamine, on controlling the concentration of Bi+3 by employing the different precursors was also evaluated. SEM, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV–vis spectroscopy are also used to obtain morphological, structural, and optical information, respectively. For the synthesized samples, an absorption coefficient in the range of 0.16 to 1.3104 (cm−1) was observed with a band gap of 1.22 to 1.24 eV. Results suggest that chemical bath deposition is a good strategy to get compact, uniform, and well-adhered thin films for photovoltaic applications with different morphologies.