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High-Efficiency Photon-Capturing Capability of Two-Dimensional SnS Nanosheets for Photoelectrochemical Cells
oleh: Xiaoguang Huang, Heechul Woo, Daseul Lee, Peinian Wu, Myungkwan Song, Jin Woo Choi
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2021-02-01 |
Deskripsi
Cost-effective, abundant, and non-toxic SnS nanosheet semiconductors can be used as water-splitting cells. Herein, a photoanode based on high-purity and highly crystalline SnS nanosheets was fabricated. We used sodium thiosulfate (Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>·5H<sub>2</sub>O) and stannous chloride (SnCl<sub>2</sub>·2H<sub>2</sub>O) as the tin and sulfur source materials, in place of SnCl<sub>4</sub> and H<sub>2</sub>S gas, respectively, which have been used in previous studies. This gas-free fabrication process represents a new, environment-friendly fabrication method that can reduce the manufacturing cost of SnS nanosheets. The fabricated samples were characterized via X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, XPS, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman analyses. The XPS result indicated no Sn<sup>0</sup> or Sn<sup>4+</sup> in the S3 nanosheet; the nanosheet was SnS. These results with XRD show that the SnS nanosheet has high phase purity and crystallinity. Its direct optical band gap is 1.31 eV, and its lattice parameters are similar to those of standard SnS. The SnS nanosheet-based photoanode exhibited a maximum saturation photocurrent of 6.86 mA cm<sup>−2</sup> at 0.57 V versus Ag/AgCl, with high stability. The most effective photocurrent for the photocatalytic water-splitting cell is attained with an increase in the surface area and developed electrical conduction. This is attributed to thermal annealing, which eliminates nanoparticle imperfections. This study confirms that SnS nanosheets are excellent candidates for water-splitting applications.