Monodisperse AgSbS2 nanocrystals: size-control strategy, large-scale synthesis, and photoelectrochemistry

We report an efficient approach to the synthesis of AgSbS2 nanocrystals (NCs) by colloidal chemistry. The size of the AgSbS2 NCs can be tuned from 5.3 to 58.3 nm with narrow size distributions by selection of appropriate precursors and fine control of the experimental conditions. Over 15 g of high-quality AgSbS2 NCs can be obtained from one single reaction, indicative of the up-scalability of the present synthesis. The resulting NCs display strong absorptions in the visible-to-NIR range and exceptional air stability. The photoelectrochemical measurements indicate that, although the pristine AgSbS2 NC electrodes generate a cathodic photocurrent with a relatively small photocurrent density and poor stability, both of them can be significantly improved subject to CdS surface modification, showing promise in solar energy conversion applications.