Chemical synthesis of Lead Iodide nanoparticles for photovoltaic and optoelectronic device applications

Document Type : Reasearch Paper

Authors

• Madhavi Sharad Darekar ¹
• Praveen Beekanahalli Mokshanatha ²

¹ Department of Physics, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Srinivas University, Mukka, Surathkal, Mangalore- 574146, Karnataka, India.

² Department of Nanotechnology, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Srinivas University, Mukka, Surathkal, Mangalore - 574146, Karnataka, India.

10.22034/ijnd.2023.1997556.2262

Abstract

In the present study, highly recommended lead iodide (PbI₂) nanoparticles and thin films based on PbI₂ nanoparticles have been prepared for optoelectronics and solar cell applications. PbI₂ is an anisotropic p-type semiconductor with a band gap of 2.57 eV at room temperature. PbI₂ material has large potential applications in optical detector, digital X-ray imaging, gamma ray detector, etc. PbI₂ layered semiconductor nanoparticles were stabilized using thioglycerol and investigated by Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The chemical bath deposition (CBD) method was used to deposit PbI₂ thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates. These films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), mapping and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thicknesses of PbI₂ thin films were estimated using a laser profilometer. The blue shift was observed in UV-Vis absorption and PL spectra of PbI₂ nanoparticles. TEM was used to obtain quantitative information on the PbI₂ particle size distribution. Due to the low solubility of PbI₂ in acetonitrile, approximately 20-30 nm sized circular particles are obtained. The variation of 18 Å was observed in the lateral dimensions of PbI₂ nanoparticles. Pb4fXPS core level appeared at 138.5 eV corresponding to PbI₂. There is no report published wherein the PbI₂ nanoparticles and the PbI₂ thin films were prepared by the aqueous chemical method and the CBD method respectively. In this study, the characterization results of PbI₂ nanoparticles and PbI₂ thin films were better than many other materials.

Highlights

 

Keywords

• Synthesis
• Characterization
• Nanoparticles
• PbI2 thin films
• Chemical bath deposition method

Main Subjects

• Crystallograghy and Nano magnetism

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