Synthesis of Bi₂S₃ thin films based on pulse-plating bismuth nanocrystallines and its photoelectrochemical properties

The solubility of Bi³⁺ in aqueous solution is an important factor that limits the fabrication of high-quality Bi₂S₃ thin films. In order to find a low-cost method to manufacture high-quality Bi₂S₃ thin films, we are reporting the preparation of the Bi₂S₃ thin films based on pulse-plating method in this paper for the first time. The nano-bismuth particles were obtained by electroplating on fluorine-doped SnO₂ (FTO)-coated conducting glass substrates with saturated bismuth potassium citrate solution as the electroplating bath, and then it was put into a muffle furnace to oxidize. Finally, the thin films depositing on FTO glass substrates were put into the thioacetamide solution for vulcanization. In the end, the Bi₂S₃ thin films were successfully prepared on FTO glass substrates. Different characterization techniques were used to characterize the structure, morphology and photoelectrochemical properties of the prepared thin films. The test results revealed that we used this method to synthesize the high-quality Bi₂S₃ thin films, thus the Bi₂S₃ materials synthesized through this method are promising candidates in photoelectrochemical application.