Synthesis and spectral properties of nanocrystalline V-substituted In2S3, a novel material for More efficient use of solar radiation

Abstract

Synthesis and spectral properties of nanocrystalline V-substituted In 2S3, a novel material for more efficient use of solar radiation, is presented. The experiment involved a semiconductor containing octahedral cation positions, where substitution by a transition metal (TM) is likely to be more favorable, and undertake the synthesis and optical characterization of this TM-substituted material, obtaining spectral results that confirm the expectations from density functional theory (DFT). The polycrystalline In2S3 material obtained hydrothermally in aqueous solution displays a powder X-ray diffractogram (XRD). The evidence of solid solution formation given by XRD and the agreement between predicted and experimental absorption spectra show the realization of the intermediate band (IB) scheme proposed for high efficiency PV cells in a single-phase compound for the first time.