Synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles and thin films of PbS by a high-performance procedure using CBD

Abstract

The present work is devoted to find a simple, inexpensive, and efficient synthesis for PbS. Nanoparticles and nanostructured thin films of lead sulfide are synthesized in short reaction times by using physicochemical methods at room conditions or similar ones. Also, a simple laboratory equipment and a basic experimental configuration is used. PbS was synthesized without ammonium or ammonia. The main precursors used in both syntheses are lead acetate, as lead source, polyethyleneimine, as a complexing agent, and thioacetamide, as a sulfur source. Acetylacetone has been employed as a dispersant agent to elaborate PbS nanoparticles, while the sodium hydroxide maintains a high pH, to elaborate PbS thin films. Characterizations reveal the existence of PbS nanoparticles whose size is smaller than 10 nm and with a bandgap of 3.35 eV. On the other hand, the resulting thin film is composed of PbS little crystallites of 22 nm with a homogeneous profile and its bandgap is 1.85 eV.