Investigating the structural, optical and electrical properties of electrochemically deposited aluminum-doped manganese sulfide for photovoltaic applications

Abstract

MnS has garnered considerable research attention because of its interesting
magneto-optical properties, layered structure and superior charge transport
facilitated by ionic strength. The micrographs revealed that Al doped MnS resulted
to agglomeration from rod like shapes to uniform spherical nanostructures. The
XRD analysis of MnS reveals a cubic crystal structure, evidenced by distinct peaks.
The pattern of MnS is modified by the addition of aluminum due to Mn ion
replacement resulting to subtle peak position and intensity changes. The energy
bandgap decreased from 2.30 to 2.22 eV as the concentration increased from 0.1 to
0.3 M. The results obtained from the four-point probe showed that as the electrical
resistivity increased from 0.126 to 0.142 ohm/m, the resulting conductivity reduced
from 7.935 to 7.042 S/m. The deposited thin films can be applied for photovoltaic
and solar cells applications.