title: Grain boundary effect on the dielectric properties of nanocrystalline beta-CuSCN.
abstract: The physics of grain boundaries in semiconductors is of interest both from a fundamental as well as technical point of view because they play crucial role in controlling properties. The grain boundary effect in the nanocrystalline materials are more because the volume fraction of atoms lying at the grain boundaries of the nanocrystalline materials are more as compared with conventional coarse-grained polycrystalline materials. The most attractive hole transporting electrolyte material of dye sensitized solar cell is CuSCN because of its band gap, valence band edge position and p-type semiconducting nature. We have synthesised nanocrystalline beta phase of CuSCN using co-precipitation technique. The grain boundary effect on the dielectric behaviour has been investigated using impedance spectroscopy in a wide frequency range 1 Hz to 1 MHz under dc bias voltages 0 V to -4.2 V. The results are analyzed with double (or back-to-back) Schottky grain boundary barrier model and discussed in detail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Physics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600025, TN, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Prakash
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramasamy