Nanostructured copper(I) sulfide films: Synthesis, composition, morphology, and structure

Abstract

Possibility of forming the solid phase of copper(I) and (II) sulfides in ammonia and acetate solutions at pH values exceeding 10 was demonstrated by calculation with the use of thiocarbamide. Mirror-like nanocrystalline layers of exclusively monovalent copper sulfide Cu₂S of stoichiometric composition with thicknesses of up to 110 ± 10 nm were formed on glass-ceramic substrates at 298–343 K via chemical deposition from solutions of both kinds due to the reducing properties of thiocarbamide. The films produced from the acetate system are more uniform and are constituted by globules (~10 nm) forming agglomerates up to 80–150 nm in diameter. According to X-ray diffraction data, they are crystallized in the chalcocite structure (space group P21/c) with crystal lattice constants a = 1.5307(5) Å, b = 1.1908(5) Å, c = 1.3485(6) Å, and β = 116.60(1)°.