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

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.