New single-source precursor for bismuth sulfide and its use as low-cost counter electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells

Abstract One new homoleptic [Bi(dtc)₃] (1) (dtc = 4-hydroxypiperdine dithiocarbamate) has been synthesized and characterized by microanalysis, IR, UV-Vis, ¹H and ¹³C spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The photoluminescence spectrum for the compound in DMSO solution was recorded. The crystal structure of 1 displayed distorted octahedral geometry around the Bi(III) center bonded through sulfur atoms of the dithiocarbamate ligands. TGA indicates that the compound decomposes to a Bi and Bi-S phase system. The Bi and Bi-S obtained from decomposition of the compound have been characterized by pXRD, EDAX and SEM. Solvothermal decomposition of 1 in the absence and presence of two different capping agents yielded three morphologically different Bi₂S₃ systems which were deployed as counter-electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).