Recent advances in synthesis of Cu2FeSnS4 materials for solar cell applications: A review

The earth-abundant Cu based multinary chalcogenides have great interest in the field of environmentally benign thin film solar cells. Recently, Cu2FeSnS4 (CFTS), one of the important Cu based chalcogenide has drawn prime attention in research and development due to their nontoxic and earth abundant constituent elements. The optical properties of CFTS make it a suitable candidate for thin film solar cells (TFSCs). This paper provides a review on the physical and chemical synthesis of CFTS nanoparticles and thin films and focuses the current status of CFTS based TFSCs. This article begins with a description of the crystal structure of CFTS, and then discussion on various solution and vacuum based techniques used to grow nanostructures and deposit compact thin films. Further, the review will summarize photovoltaic behavior of CFTS thin films. Finally, we discussed the challenges and scope and the perspectives for further developments in the existing research on CFTS based solar cells.