Development of chitosan base PbBiS2 thin films for photovoltaic application

Abstract

Novel poly-crystalline nature of chitosan (CS) based Lead Bismuth Sulphide (PbBiS2) thin films have been deposited at different deposition temperatures by chemical bath deposition (CBD), a lucid and low cost technique. Structural, optical and electrical properties of the films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive analysis of X-ray (EDAX), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Spectrophotometry, Photoluminescence, Hall Effect and Current-Voltage (I-V) estimations. The films were identified to be polycrystalline with orthorhombic shape. The films exhibited a highly reflective surface with a metal appearance. The optical band differences on the films ranged from 2.22 to 1.97 eV. The negative nature of the Hall coefficients indicated that the majority of load-carrying materials were electrons. The intensity of the photo-luminescence emission was increased. Current-voltage measurements reported the semiconductor nature of the film. The prepared thin films are suitable for solar cell applications.