Speaker
Ms
Lauren Macreadie
(Monash University)
Description
Cadmium dithiocarbamate complexes, [Cd(S2CNR2)2], have found application as precursors for cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin film development and subsequent incorporation into photovoltaic devices. However, their dimeric nature limits their solubility in green, organic solvents commonly used in solution deposition routes to thin film formation.[1] To increase the solubility of [Cd(S2CNR2)2] complexes, a series of monomeric cadmium dithiocarbamate salts were synthesised and structurally characterised using synchrotron X-ray diffraction.
The cadmium dithiocarbamate anions, [Cd(S2CNR2)3]−, are charge balanced by ammonium counter ions which include tetramethylammonium (Me4N), tetrapropylammonium (Pr4N), 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium (C3mim) and 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium (C4C1py). The latter two counter ions are known to form ionic liquids, due to their assymmetry and poor crystal packing abilities, and when used allowed the formation of cadmium dithiocarbamate ionic liquids. The C3mim[Cd(S2CNR2)3] compounds were room temperature ionic liquids, while the C4C1py[Cd(S2CNR2)3] compounds were crystalline materials at room temperature and melted at temperatures below 100°C. Investigation of the overall crystal packing arrangement of these structures allowed for better understanding of their thermal properties in the solid state, in particular the formation of ionic liquids using the C3mim and C4C1py cations, in contrast to the tetraalkylammonium cations. All compounds showed a higher solubility in common laboratory solvents and therefore can be deemed as viable precursors towards CdS thin film formation using solution deposition processes.
1. Knapp, C. E.; Carmalt, C. J. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2016.
| Keywords | cadmium dithiocarmate, ionic liquid, CdS thin film |
|---|
Primary author
Ms
Lauren Macreadie
(Monash University)
