Unmediated one-step synthesis of novel ZnSO for photovoltaic and electronic applications

Advancements in wide-bandgap semiconductors are continuously enhancing the optical, electrical, and structural properties of materials for photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices. A new unmediated wet-chemical synthesis of novel zinc sulfo-oxide (ZnSO) has been carried out for application in solar cells. Inclusion of sulfur in zinc oxide to form ZnSO, altered and improved the structural as well as optical properties of ZnO. Ease of synthesis of ZnSO using unmediated one-step process will facilitate the quantum dot sensitized and perovskite solar cells as electron transport materials as well as passivation layer to reduce unwanted recombination processes and can also be applied in Li-ion batteries as an electrode. The optical, structural, morphological, and elemental properties of ZnSO were characterized using photoluminescence emission, photoluminescence excitation, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy and confirms the formation of novel ZnSO.