Solar cell material Cu2FeSnS4 nanoparticles synthesized via a facile liquid reflux method

Cu2FeSnS4 (CFTS) nanoparticles were synthesized by a liquid reflux method with a mixed solvent of triethylenetetramine-ethylene glycol(1:1.5, v/v) under the atmospheric pressure condition. Structure, morphology, composition and optical properties of as-synthesized samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS) and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrophotometer (UV-vis), respectively. The results show that the CFTS nanoparticles have single phase, good crystallinity and fairly close to the stoichiometric ratio. Moreover, the size of primary CFTS nanoparticles is about 25.0 nm, and the nanoparticles are aggregated with size ranging from 100-300 nm. And their band gaps are 1.32 eV which is suitable for solar cell absorption material.