Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 97, 47 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2022220068

Regular Article

Effect of annealing time on different properties of the next generation Cu₂Ni_0.50Co_0.50SnS₄Thin films

¹ Laboratory of Materials, Energy and Environment (LMEE), Cadi Ayyad University, PB, 2390, Marrakech, Morocco
² Materials and Energy Laboratory, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Ouarzazate, Ibn Zohr University, Morocco

^* e-mail: abdeaabali@gmail.com

Received: 18 March 2022
Received in final form: 9 May 2022
Accepted: 24 May 2022
Published online: 12 August 2022

Abstract

In this report, the Multifunctional Quinary Cu₂Ni_0.50Co_0.50SnS₄ synthesized by a cheap and easy-to-use technique using spin-coating on glass substrates. XRD spectra of Cu₂Ni_0.50Co_0.50SnS₄ annealing at 300 °C demonstrated the structure similar to that of Cu₂NiSnS₄ and Cu₂CoSnS₄ for 60 min and 90 min. The Raman scattering demonstrated the existence of Raman Cu₂Ni_0.50Co_0.50SnS₄ peaks positioned at 286 and 331 cm⁻¹ which allows us to tell the structure of Cu₂Ni_0.50Co_0.50SnS₄ similar only to Cu₂NiSnS₄. The EDS studies demonstrated a quasi-stoichiometry of the Cu₂Ni_0.50Co_0.50SnS₄ annealed sample with a low effect of annealing time on stoichiometry. The scanning electron microscope showed nearly uniform, dense and rough surface morphology with some voids. UV-visible-NIR spectroscopy revealed the gap energy of Cu₂Ni_0.50Co_0.50SnS₄ absorbent layers annealed at 300 °C for 60 min is 1.38 eV, which is very close to the optimal value of the solar spectrum signed by Shockley-Queisser. These results are ideally suited for low-cost, soil-abundant and non-toxic materials for photovoltaic applications.