Quaternary Cu2NiSnS4 chalcogenide semiconductor materials and its applications: A brief review

Abstract

From past ten years, quaternary Cu-based chalcogenide semiconductors have been appealing compounds in various ways. It is not surprising that the majority of scientific findings on quaternary chalcogenide are focused on photovoltaic (PV) studies as the specimen first became popular as a less expensive alternative to costly Si for PV applications. Such materials have all the necessary characteristics, including high absorbance, a band gap that is optimal for efficient charge transport, and non-toxic and abundant component elements. It has efficient charge transport for becoming an effective PV source in nanoparticle or thin film form. Not only in solar cell technology but also in many other optoelectronic applications such as photodetectors, fiber optics, charge storage devices, and memory devices, the Cu-based quaternary chalcogenide semiconductors proved to be an efficient material. CuInGaSe₂ (CIGS) solar cells have the greatest documented lab conversion efficiency of 23.35 %. But scarcity and high cost of elements like In and Ga are the main obstacles; in order to make the semiconductor less expensive and nontoxic so they might be utilized for commercial purposes, experiments are being done to examine the features of substituting Indium with transition metals. The Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS), Cu₂NiSnS₄ (CNTS), Cu₂CoSnS₄ (CCTS), Cu₂MnSnS₄ (CMTS), and Cu₂FeSnS₄ (CFTS) were evolved as the replacement of CIGS like materials. Almost the maximum properties of CZTS were explored, So researchers are moving toward other quaternary chalcogenides. The present article highlights the multifunctional properties of CNTS materials along with various synthesis processes and their fascinating properties for practical applications. It also discusses their most recent achievements in efficiency.