PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF SB2S3 THIN-FILMS FOR PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL APPLICATIONS

A modified chemical deposition process has been employed for the preparation of antimony trisulfide thin layers onto the plane glass and stainless steel substrates. The as-deposited samples on baking at 120-degrees-C are orange-red in color and turn into the dark gray variety on heating to 200-degrees-C in an air ambient. The surface topography shows the polycrystalline nature of the samples. This is supported by x-ray diffraction observations. The deposits are of n-type with an electron activation energy of 0.80 eV. A n-Sb2S3/ferrocene-DMSO/C, photoelectrochemical cell was then devised and has been characterized in dark and in light in terms of electrical and optical properties. A short-circuit current (I(SC)) of 0.14 mA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage (V(OC)) equal to 0.155 V are obtained from this cell configuration. The calculated efficiency approached to 0.008%. The other cell parameters have been determined from these studies.