Synthesis and characterization of Bi/Bi2S3 nanocomposite through polyol method and its photovoltaic applications

In the current study, Bi/Bi2S3 nanocomposite was successfully synthesized through a simple polyol method with the aid of TAA and bismuth(III) nitrate as starting reagents. Besides, the effects of 1,2 hexadecanediol and oleyl amine as a reducing agent and surfactant on the chemical structure of final products were investigated, respectively. Furthermore, several experiments were performed to investigate the effect of oleic acid concentration on the morphology and particle size of Bi/Bi2S3 nanocomposite. The optical band gap of the Bi/Bi2S3 nanocomposite was estimated to be 3.4 eV. Moreover, in order to fabricate a solar cell structure, Doctor's blade method was used to prepare Bi/Bi2S3 film; therefore, CdS film was directly deposited on top of the Bi/Bi2S3 film to measure photovoltaic properties. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.