Issue 25, 2014

Template-directed synthesis of pyrite (FeS2) nanorod arrays with an enhanced photoresponse

Abstract

A high solar conversion efficiency is the key characteristic required for any semiconductor material to be a candidate for photovoltaic applications. Although pyrite (FeS2) is considered a promising candidate because of its extremely high light absorption coefficient, its solar conversion efficiency still remains below 3%. We report here the design of a novel one-dimensional pyrite nanostructure to enhance the photoresponsive properties of pyrite. Well-aligned pyrite nanorod arrays were successfully grown on a transparent and conductive glass substrate of fluorine-doped tin oxide using a template-directed method. ZnO nanorod arrays were used as the initial template to produce Fe(OH)3 nanotube arrays and then the Fe(OH)3 nanotube arrays were used as a template to produce pyrite nanorod arrays. The pyrite nanorods had an average diameter of 130 nm and a length of 600 nm. The prepared pyrite nanorod films showed outstanding light absorption and enhanced photocurrents compared with nanoparticle FeS2 films. The excellent optical and photoelectrical performance of FeS2 nanorod films is attributed to the unique one-dimensional ordered architecture, which has large surface areas for light harvest and provides a direct and short pathway for charge transport, reducing the combination loss of photoelectrons. The method offers a new strategy for designing nanostructured materials with one-dimensional ordered architectures for high-performance photovoltaic devices.

Graphical abstract: Template-directed synthesis of pyrite (FeS2) nanorod arrays with an enhanced photoresponse

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 Feb 2014
Accepted
02 Apr 2014
First published
02 Apr 2014

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014,2, 9496-9505

Author version available

Template-directed synthesis of pyrite (FeS2) nanorod arrays with an enhanced photoresponse

M. Wang, C. Xing, K. Cao, L. Zhang, J. Liu and L. Meng, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, 2, 9496 DOI: 10.1039/C4TA00759J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements