Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Pbs nanoparticles for optoelectronic devices

Abstract

The main goal of this work is to study the influence of different synthetic factors (such as the nature of metal precursors, solvent, reaction time and temperature, Pb concentration and the Pb:S molar ratio) in the morphology of solvothermally-prepared PbS particles, as well as to understand the mechanism of PbS crystals formation. With the optimized PbS particles, the main functional properties, including both optical absorption and electrochemical capacity, will be measured in order to analyze their application in optoelectronic devices. The main objective is divided in the following specific objectives: I. To obtain PbS nanoparticles with well-defined structure (all particles with similar size and morphology). II. To determine the amount of residual PbO formed during the synthesis. Our synthesis was performed in air atmosphere and many reported syntheses were made in a controlled atmosphere of N2, Ar or vacuum. III. To study the relationship between synthetic parameters and the particle size distribution and morphology, in order to propose a mechanism of PbS crystal formation. IV. To prepare stable dispersions of PbS nanoparticles, which is one of the most important requisites to prepare thin layers for optoelectronic materials. V. To perform the optical absorption spectra and the electrochemical capacity of our materials and compare them with bulk and other reported PbS nanostructures.