One-pot solvothermal synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4@SnO2 nanocomposites

●Novel CZTS@SnO2 nanocomposites were synthesized via a simple chemical approach.●The addition of SDBS accelerated the formation of SnO2 nanoparticles.●An in situ growth was employed in the reaction process.●The photo-response was strongly enhanced due to the formation of p–n heterojunctions.

Cu2ZnSnS4(CZTS) is acknowledged as a promising alternative to traditional p-type solar energy absorbers. However, no facile approach using chemical techniques has been reported to the compositing of CZTS with other n-type semiconductors. Here, we reported the synthesis of CZTS@SnO2 nanocomposites via a simple one-pot solvothermal process. The structures and morphologies of the as-prepared nanocomposites were investigated systematically by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM), etc. An in situ growth mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of CZTS@SnO2 nanocomposites based on the experimental results. The as-prepared CZTS@SnO2 nanocomposites exhibit enhanced photo-response, which could be attributed to the special structures with improved separation of photo-induced charge carriers.