Development of Cu3BiS3 thin films by chemical bath deposition route

Novel nanofibers of wittichenite Cu3BiS3 thin films were successfully developed by use of a simple and low cost chemical bath deposition method. The Cu3BiS3 thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, surface wettability and optical absorption spectra. The XRD shows a formation of wittichenite Cu3BiS3 pure phase of orthorhombic structure. SEM reveals the formation of a network of nanofibers having a large surface area. Raman study shows a major peak at 284 cm(-1) and confirms the formation of pure phase of Cu3BiS3. All thin films of Cu3BiS3 were hydrophilic in nature as contact angle of each film is < 90A degrees. The direct band gap of the Cu3BiS3 films were found to be 1.56-1.42 eV, indicates Cu3BiS3 has good properties to perform as an absorber layer in solar cell technology.