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Journal of Materials Science
Published in: Journal of Materials Science 24/2015

01-12-2015 | Original Paper

Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide–copper tin sulphide composites and their photoconductivity enhancement for photovoltaic applications

Authors: M. Kamalanathan, S. Karuppusamy, R. Sivakumar, R. Gopalakrishnan

Published in: Journal of Materials Science | Issue 24/2015

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Abstract

Graphene-based composites are attractive to effectively tune the intrinsic properties of inorganic semiconductors. We report the first study of band gap tuning and photoconductivity enhancement of reduced graphene oxide–Cu2SnS3 (G–CTS) composite. A simple solvothermal route has been used to synthesize G–CTS with and without a complexing agent in the reaction mixture. Raman and FTIR studies confirm the formation of G–CTS and reduced graphene oxide–Cu2SnS3 by the addition of complexing agent ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (G–CTS(E)) during synthesis. Powder X-ray diffraction reveals the formation of cubic CTS structure in both the composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study has revealed microbar and nanorod morphologies in the composites. The wide absorption of composites has been measured using absorption spectroscopy study. The band gaps of G–CTS and G–CTS(E) have been calculated using the absorption spectra and found to be 1.33 and 1.61 eV, respectively. This study confirms the suitability of G–CTS and G–CTS(E) for photovoltaic applications. Photoconductivity study reveals that G–CTS(E) generates 60 % more current than G–CTS.
previous article Graphene-reinforced carbon composite foams with improved strength and EMI shielding from sucrose and graphene oxide
next article An approach for determining chemical composition of zinc oxide films with carbon-containing contamination at the surface

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Metadata
Title
Synthesis of reduced graphene oxide–copper tin sulphide composites and their photoconductivity enhancement for photovoltaic applications
Authors
M. Kamalanathan
S. Karuppusamy
R. Sivakumar
R. Gopalakrishnan
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Materials Science / Issue 24/2015
Print ISSN: 0022-2461
Electronic ISSN: 1573-4803
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9370-9

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