title: A versatile chemical conversion synthesis of Cu2S nanotubes and the photovoltaic activities for dye-sensitized solar cell.
abstract: A versatile, low-temperature, and low-cost chemical conversion synthesis has been developed to prepare copper sulfide (Cu2S) nanotubes. The successful chemical conversion from ZnS nanotubes to Cu2S ones profits by the large difference in solubility between ZnS and Cu2S. The morphology, structure, and composition of the yielded products have been examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction measurements. We have further successfully employed the obtained Cu2S nanotubes as counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. The light-to-electricity conversion results show that the Cu2S nanostructures exhibit high photovoltaic conversion efficiency due to the increased surface area and the good electrocatalytical activity of Cu2S. The present chemical route provides a simple way to synthesize Cu2S nanotubes with a high surface area for nanodevice applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China.
authors.forename: Xuemin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shuai
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Condensed Matter Spectroscopy and Opto-Electronic Physics and Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Department of Physics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Wenzhong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China.
authors.forename: Zhaoyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China.
authors.forename: Sanmin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Physics, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, China.
authors.forename: Chunlong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Electronic Electrical Engineering, Huaiyin Normal University, 111 West Chang Jiang Road, Huaian 223300, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
keywords: Cation exchange; Chemical transformation; Growth mechanism; Nanotubes; Optical and photovoltaic properties