A top-down synthesis of wurtzite Cu2SnS3 nanocrystals for efficient photoelectrochemical performance

作者：Sun, Weijun; Ye, Yangwei; You, Yu; Xu, Jun^*

来源：Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2018, 6(18): 8221-8226.

DOI：10.1039/c8ta00851e

• LARGE-SCALE SYNTHESIS
• ZNO NANOWIRE ARRAYS
• FILM SOLAR-CELLS
• SOLVOTHERMAL SYNTHESIS
• COLLOIDAL SYNTHESIS
• EARTH-ABUNDANT
• QUANTUM DOTS
• CU2ZNSNS4
• PHOSPHINE
• PHASE

In this work, a top-down strategy to prepare metastable wurtzite Cu2SnS3 nanocrystals is reported for the first time. Wurtzite Cu2SnS3 nanocrystals with diameters of 7 +/- 3 nm are synthesized by reacting Cu2O nanocubes in a tin-metal chalcogenide complex (Sn-MCC) aqueous solution. A conversion process of cubic Cu2O nanocubes -> monoclinic Cu7S4 nanoboxes -> hexagonal CuS nanoboxes -> wurtzite Cu2SnS3 nanoboxes -> wurtzite Cu2SnS3 nanocrystals is systematically investigated. It is revealed that formation of hollow nanoboxes is resulted from the Kirkendall effect while evolution from Cu2SnS3 nanoboxes to tiny Cu2SnS3 nanocrystals is due to an etching effect. Cu2SnS3 nanocrystal sensitized ZnO nanorod arrays are demonstrated as efficient photoanodes for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Our work opens up a new door to prepare ecofriendly chalcogenide nanocrystals and for their promising applications in solar energy conversion devices.

• 出版日期2018-5-14
• 单位合肥工业大学