Cu–In intermetallic compound inks for CuInS 2 solar cells

In this paper, we report on the synthesis of Cu–In intermetallic compound nanoparticles which were used to fabricate CuInS 2 thin films and solar cells. Cu–In nanoparticles with adjustable Cu/In ratio were prepared by the introduction of hot-injection technology in the polyol solution. The particle sizes were in the range of 10–100 nm, which wa quite suitable for the fabrication of Cu–In metal inks. Metal precursor films were then made from the metal inks, and then converted to compact CuInS 2 films in a sulfur atmosphere. A CuInS 2 solar cell with an efficiency of 1.48% from the film was achieved.