Ternary Cu<sub>2</sub>SnS<sub>3</sub>: Synthesis, Structure, Photoelectrochemical Activity, and Heterojunction Band Offset and Alignment
Sagar B. Jathar, Sachin R. Rondiya, Yogesh Jadhav, Dhanaraj S. Nilegave, Russell W. Cross, Sunil V. Barma, Mamta P. Nasane, Shankar Gaware, Bharat Bade, Sandesh Jadkar, Adinath M. Funde, Nelson Y. Dzade
Abstract
). Additionally, the PEC activities of CdS and ZnS NPs are investigated as possible photoanodes to create a heterojunction with CTS to enhance the PEC activity. CdS is demonstrated to exhibit a higher current density than ZnS, indicating that it is a better photoanode material to form a heterojunction with CTS. Consistently, we predict a staggered type-II band alignment at the CTS/CdS interface with a small conduction band offset (CBO) of 0.08 eV compared to a straddling type-I band alignment at the CTS/ZnS interface with a CBO of 0.29 eV. The observed small CBO at the type-II band aligned CTS/CdS interface points to efficient charge carrier separation and transport across the interface, which are necessary to achieve enhanced PEC activity. The facile CTS synthesis, PEC measurements, and heterojunction band alignment results provide a promising approach for fabricating next-generation Cu-based light-absorbing materials for efficient photoelectrochemical applications.