Photoelectrochemical properties of Bi2S3 thin films deposited by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method

Bi2S3 nanoparticles (NPs) in the form of thin films were deposited on fluorine doped SnO2 (FTO) coated conducting glass substrates by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) at room temperature without annealing. The absorption coefficient could reach to the order of 106 cm−1 in the visible and NIR region, and the highest one was 5 × 106 cm−1. The highest photocurrent density of the synthesized Bi2S3 thin films (TFs) could maintain 0.8 mA/cm2 within 700 s under the light intensity kept at 30 mW/cm2. The photocurrent density is among the highest reported for any Bi2S3 photoelectrode without annealing to date. The photocurrent display little decrease during 4000 s of testing under illumination. The n-type Bi2S3 thin films display a reasonable photoactivity and photostablity under illumination and are thus promising candidates for photoelectrochemical applications.