Preparation of antimony sulfide semiconductor nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation in liquid

• Published in: Applied surface science 2015-09, Vol.348, p.38-44
• Main Authors: Sun, Ren-De, Tsuji, Takeshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimony; Antimony sulfide; Ethyl alcohol; Laser ablation in liquid; Lasers; Liquids; Nanoparticles; Pulsed lasers; Semiconductors; Solvents; Surfactant-free synthesis
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.02.041

•Pulsed laser ablation in liquid (LAL) was applied to prepare antimony sulfide nanoparticles (Sb2S3 NPs).•Sb2S3 NPs with a stoichiometric composition were successfully prepared by LAL in water without using any surfactants or capping agents.•Thus-prepared Sb2S3 NPs showed low-temperature crystallization and melting at a temperature low as 200°C.•The NPs-coated Sb2S3 thin film showed comparable semiconductor properties (carrier mobility and carrier density) to the vacuum deposited one.•Byproducts such as CS2, CH4 and CO were detected by GC-MS analysis when LAL was performed in organic solvent.•The LAL-induced decomposition mechanism of Sb2S3 and organic solvents was discussed based on the GC-MS results. In this paper, we report on the synthesis of antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) semiconductor nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation in liquid without using any surfactants or capping agents. Different results were obtained in water and organic solvents. In the case of water, Sb2S3 nanoparticles with chemical compositions of stoichiometry were successfully prepared when laser irradiation was performed under the condition with the dissolved oxygen removed by argon gas bubbling. It was shown that thus-obtained Sb2S3 nanoparticles exhibit features of not only low-temperature crystallization but also low-temperature melting at a temperature as low as 200°C. Nanoparticle-coated Sb2S3 thin films were found to show good visible light absorption and satisfying semiconductor properties (i.e., carrier mobility and density), which are essential for photovoltaic application. On the other hand, in the case of organic solvents (e.g., acetone, ethanol), such unexpected byproducts as CS2, CO and CH4 were detected from the reaction system by GC-MS analysis, which suggests that both Sb2S3 and organic solvents were partially decomposed during laser irradiation. The possible mechanism will be discussed.