Open Access

ARTICLE

Chemically deposited cubic SnS photocathodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting

U. Chalapathi^a, M. Vasudeva Reddy^b,c, C. P. Reddy^d, R. Dhanalakshmi^e, A. Divya^f, K. Mohanarangam^g, S. H. Park^a,*

a Department of Electronic Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, South Korea
b Department of Mathematics, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Thandalam, Chennai 602 105, India
c School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan-si 38541, South Korea
d School of Science and Humanities, Department of Physics, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai, India
e Department of Physics, University of Santiago of Chile (USACH), Santiago, Chile
f Department of Physics, School of Technology, The Apollo University, Chittoor, A.P., 517127, India
g Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune Campus, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India

* Corresponding Author:

Chalcogenide Letters 2025, 22(9), 787-796. https://doi.org/10.15251/CL.2025.229.787

Received 08 May 2025; Accepted 12 September 2025;

Abstract

Recently, cubic SnS shows promising potential for optoelectronic applications, including solar cells. Despite its advantages, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of cubic SnS photoelectrodes remain underexplored. This study examines the PEC performance of cubic SnS photocathodes synthesized on FTO substrates via chemical bath deposition and annealed at 250o C for varying durations (10, 20, and 30 min). The as-deposited SnS films, characterized by a cubic crystal structure (lattice parameter: 1.162 nm, crystallite size: 17 nm), an energy gap of 1.75 eV, and an initial photocurrent of 0.8 mA/cm2 at -1 V vs. Hg/HgO, showed significant enhancement upon annealing. A 10-minute annealing improved grain size and boosted the photocurrent to 1.4 mA/cm² , while 20 minutes yielded optimized grain growth and uniformity, achieving 1.9 mA/cm² . However, prolonged annealing (30 min) induced a secondary SnS2 phase, reducing performance. These findings highlight the importance of controlled annealing for optimizing cubic SnS PEC performance.

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Keywords

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