Synthesis of wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals via solvothermal route and their application in photovoltaic devices

•Quaternary wurtzite structure Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized via solvothermal way.•The UV–Vis spectrum displays that the bandgap of as-synthesized nanocrystals is 1.51 eV.•The as-synthesized Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals have successfully applied in the field of thin film solar cells.

Quaternary wurtzite Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals have been synthesized via solvothermal way using hexanamine as solvent. The structure, composition, morphology and optical absorption properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy and UV–vis spectrometry. The short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage of solar cells, fabricated using as-synthesized Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystal inks, were 7 mA and 0.3 2 v respectively, under AM1.5G illumination.